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FIFTH  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 
CONVENTION    ROME  1907 


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World's 

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convention 

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SUNDAY  SCHOOLS  THE  WORLD  AROUND 


The  Rev.  F.  B.  Meyer.  B.A. 

Great  Britain. 

President  of  the  World's  Sunday-School  Association. 

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JAN  19  1915 


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SUNDAY-SCHOOLS 

THE  WORLD 

AROUND 

y 

THE  OFFICIAL  REPORT  OF  THE  WORLD'S  FIFTH 

SUNDAY-SCHOOL  CONVENTION,  IN 

ROME,  MAY  18-23,  1907 

EDITED    BY 

Philip  E   Howard 

••tOJ- 

Published  by 
The  World's  Sunday-School  Executive  Committee 

George  W.  Bailey,  Chairman, 
North  American  Building,  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  U.  S.  A. 

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Copyright,  igo?,  by 
Philip    E.   Howard 


IN  GRATEFUL  ACKNOWLEDGMENT 

OF  HER  UNREMITTING  AND  DEVOTED   INTEREST 

IN    SUNDAY-SCHOOL    WORK    THROUGHOUT    THE    WORLD. 

THIS  BOOK 

IS  DEDICATED  TO 

MRS.  ELLA  FORD  HARTSHORN. 

WIFE  OF 

THE   CHAIRMAN    OF  THE    EXECUTIVE    COMMITTEE    OF 

THE  INTERNATIONAL  SUNDAY-SCHOOL 

ASSOCIATION. 


The  Call  to  Rome 

For  the  World's  Fifth  Sunday  School  Convention, 
May  20-23,  1907 

To  all  who  are  interested  in  the  work  oj  the  Sunday-school 
throughout  the  world — Greeting: 

In  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  we  read  that  Paul,  with  his 
vision  of  a  world  opportunity,  having  determined  to  visit 
Jerusalem,  said,  ''After  I  have  been  there,  I  must  also  see 
Rome." 

In  these  later  days,  when  that  world  of  Paul's  day  has 
grown  into  a  limitless  opportunity  for  the  followers  of  his 
Master  and  ours,  it  is  most  fitting  that  the  World's  Sunday 
School  Convention,  having  met  in  Jerusalem,  the  birthplace 
of  the  Christian  Church,  should  gather  now  in  Rome,  that 
world-center  where  the  Christian  Church  fought  an  dwon 
its  most  notable  triumphs. 

Imperial  Rome — with  its  laws,  its  customs,  its  rulers, 
soldiers,  and  citizens — made  up  the  environment  within 
which  the  members  of  that  early  company  of  Christians  gave 
themselves  unsparingly,  at  any  cost,  to  the  cause  of  him 
whom  they  loved  with  a  devotion  not  less  than  that  of  the 
great  apostle.  The  Appian  Way  knew  their  footsteps;  the 
Mamertine  prison  could  not  shut  from  heaven  their  fervent 
pleadings;  the  Coliseum  ran  with  their  blood  and  sounded 
with  their  dying  songs  of  triumph;  the  Catacombs  closed  in 
upon  them  with  a  thick  darkness  which  could  not  quench 
the  flame  of  their  Christian  hope;  and  the  Roman  Forum 
daunted  them  not  at  all  in  its  formidable  pubhcity,  when 
they  must  stand  fearlessly  for  the  rejected  King  whose 
willing  bond-slaves  they  were. 

Everywhere  in  the  City  of  the  Seven  Hills  are  memorials 
of  that  early  struggle  for  the  supremacy  of  Christ,  a  warfare 
waged  by  men  and  women  to  whom  our  debt  is  immeasur- 

vi 


Edward  K.  Warren, 

United  States  of  America, 

President  of  the  World's  Sunday-School  Convention. 

1Q04-1Q07. 


The  Call  to  Rome 

able.  And  there  on  every  hand,  in  its  ancient  ruins,  in  its 
public  buildings,  in  its  cathedrals  and  treasures  of  art,  Rome 
holds  for  any  sojourner  within  its  gates  a  revelation  of 
world-history,  incomparably  fascinating  in  its  breadth  and 
significance. 

Even  as  an  earnest  religious  sentiment  drew  the  World's 
Fourth  Sunday  School  Convention  to  Jerusalem,  so  now  it 
has  seemed  good  to.  us — under  the  guidance,  we  believe,  of 
the  Holy  Spirit — to  accept  the  cordial  and  unanimous 
invitation  of  the  Italian  National  Sunday  School  Committee 
to  hold  the  World's  Fifth  Sunday  School  Convention  in 
Rome. 

Your  executive  committee,  therefore,  officially  announces 
that  the  World's  Fifth  Sunday  School  Convention  will  be 
held  in  the  City  of  Rome,  May  20-23  inclusive,  in  the  year 
1907,  and  invites  all  who  are  interested  in  the  work  and 
progress  of  the  Sunday-school  to  be  present. 

For  Great  Britain:  F.  F.  Belsey,  Edward  Towxrs,  Frank 
Johnson,  William  MacDonald  Sinclair,  J.  Monro  Gibson, 
W.  H.  Groser,  Charles  Waters,  J.  E.  Balmer,  Frank  Clem- 
ents, G.  Shipway,  C.  J.  Cuthbertson. 

For  Germany:  Count  Bernstorff. 

For  Sweden:  Prince  Bernadotte. 

For  Italy:  Henry  J.  Piggott. 

For  Switzerland:  William  Burt. 

For  Mexico:  John  W.  Butler. 

For  Canada:  S.  P.  Leet,  J.  W.  Flavelle,  Henry  L. 
Lovering. 

For  the  Ufiited  States:  Edward  K.  Warren,  WiUiam  N. 
Hartshorn,  H.  J.  Heinz,  John  Wanamaker,  F.  A.  Wells, 
Marion  Lawrance,  Lucy  A.  Winston,  H.  H.  Bell,  A.  B. 
McCrilHs,  W.  J.  Semelroth,  J.  D.  Haskell. 

George  W.  Bailey,  Chairman, 

North  American  Building,  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  U.  S.  A. 
March  26,  1906. 

vii 


The  International  Lesson  Committee 

AMERICAN   SECTION 

Rev.  John   Potts,  D.D.,  LL.D.,   Chairman, 

from  1896-1907 Toronto,  Ontario. 

Rev.  A.  F.  Schauffler,  D.D.,  Secretary,  105 

East  22nd  St New  York,  N.  Y. 

Rev.  B.  B.  Tyler,  D.D Denver,  Colo. 

Pres.  J.  S.  Stahr,  D.D.,  LL.D Lancaster,  Pa. 

Prof.  John  R.  Sampey,  D.D Louisville,  Ky, 

John  R.  Pepper Memphis,  Tenn. 

Rev.  Mosheim  Rhodes,  D.D St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Bishop  H.  W.  Warren,  D.D.,  LL.D Denver,  Col. 

Rev.  Elson  I.  Rexford,  M.  A.,  LL.D Montreal,  Quebec. 

Prof.  Ira  M.  Price,  Ph.D Chicago,  Illinois. 

Rev.  O.  P.  Gifford,  D.D Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

Prin.  Wm.  Patrick,  D.D Winnipeg,  Manitoba. 

Prof.  Chas.  R.  Hemphill,  D.D Louisville,  Ky. 

Edwin  L.  Shuey,  M.A Dayton,  Ohio. 

Pres.  Wm.  Douglas  MacKenzie,  D.D Hartford,  Conn. 

BRITISH   SECTION 

Rev.  Alfred    Rowland,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  Chair- 
man   London,  England. 

W.  H.  Groser,  B.Sc,  Secretary London,  England. 

Charles  Waters London,  England. 

Edward  ToWers    Saxmundham,  Eng. 

Rev.  C.  H.  Kelly London,  England. 

Bishop  Frank  W.  Warne,  D.D Lucknow,  India. 

Archibald  Jackson Melbourne,  Australia. 

F.  F.  Belsey,  J.  P London,  England. 

Rev.  R.  Culley London,  England. 

Rev.  Frank  Johnson London,  England. 

Rev.  S.  S.  Henshaw Leeds,  England. 

Frederic  Taylor London,  England . 

Rev,  Prof.  S.  W.  Green,  M.A London,  England. 

Rev.  Alex.  Connell,  M.A.,  B.D Liverpool,  England. 

Rev.  Prof.  A.  E.  Garvie,  M.A.,  D.D London,  England. 

Prin.  W.  F.  Adeney,  M.A  ,  D.D Manchester,  England. 

Prof.  A.  S.  Peake,  M.  A.,  B.D Manchester,  England. 

viii 


The  Rev.  Dr.  John  Potts,  Toronto,  Canada. 

Born  May  3,  1838.      Entered  into  rest  October  16,  1907. 

Chairman  of  the  International  Lesson  Committee 

from  i8q6  to  1Q07. 


Contents 

PAGE 

The  Boston  Meetings  and  Reception i-g 

George  W.  Penniman,  Boston,  Mass.,  U.  S.  A. 

The  Cruise  of  the  Romanic g-20 

James  W.  Kinnear,  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  President  of  "The 
Rome  Pilgrims." 

The  Cruise  of  the  Neckar 20-37 

Philip  E.  Howard,  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  U.  S.  A. 

The  Convention  Itself 38-53 

Philip  E.  Howard. 

The  Claim  of  the  Child 54-70 

The  Rev.  Dr.  G.  Campbell  Morgan,  London,  Eng. 

A   Quiet  Half  Hour  with  the  Rev.  F.  B.  Meyer,   B.   A., 

London,  England 70-76 

The  Sunday  School  Exposition 76-78 

The    Rev.  Dr.  C.  R.  Blackall,     Philadelphia,     Pa., 
U.  S.  A. 

The  Footsteps  of  Paul  in  Rome 79-1 18 

The  Rev.  Dr.  J.  Gordon  Gray,  Rome,  Italy. 

Africa 118-127 

Bishop  J.  C.  Hartzell,  Madeira  Islands. 
The  Home  Department 127-136 

Dr.  W.  A.  Duncan,  Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  U.  S.  A. 

Quiet  Half  Hour 136-141 

The  Rev.  Dr.  G.  CampbeU  Morgan. 

Foundation  Truths  for  Children 141-149 

Mrs.  Mary  Foster  Bryner,  Peoria,  111.,  U.  S.  A. 

The  Sunday  School  Organized  for  Service 149-156 

Marion  LawTance,  General    Secretary  International 
Sunday  School  Association,  Chicago,  111.,  U.  S.  A. 

The  Great  Apostle 156-167 

The  Rev.  Dr.  G.  CampbeU  Morgan. 

The  Sunday  School  as  a  Missionary  Force 168-176 

A.  C.  Monro,  London,  England. 

The  Oneness  of  Believers 176-184 

The  Rev.  F.  B.  Meyer,  B.  A. 
The  International  Bible  Reading  Association 184-189 

Charles  Waters,  London,  England. 

The  World's  Sunday  School  Visitation 192 

ix 


Contents 

PAGE 

Reports  from  the  World  Field 
The  Work    of    the    Continental    Sunday    School    Mission  193-197 
Charles  Waters 

North  Africa 197-199 

The  Rev.  J.  J.  Cooksey,  Sousse,  North  Africa. 

Austria 199-201 

Professor  C.  J.  Haberl,  Vienna,  Austria. 

Belgium 201-203 

The  Rev.  Henri  Anet,  M.  A.,  B.  D.,  Lize-Seraing 
Belgium. 

Bohemia 204-206 

The  Rev.  Dr.  A.  W.  Clark,  Prague,  Bohemia. 

Bohemia  and  Moravia 206-209 

The  Rev.  J.  S.  Porter,  Prague,  Bohemia. 

Bulgaria 209-215 

The  Rev.  T.  T.  Holway,  M.  A.,  Samokove,  Bulgaria. 

The  Bible  Among  the  Bulgarians 215-218 

John  G.  Setchanoff,  Philippopolis,  Bulgaria. 

The  Story  of  Organized  Work  in  China 218-222 

The    Rev.  Frank    A.    Smith,    Haddonfield,    N.    J., 
U.  S.  A. 

Congo  Free  State 222-225 

The  Rev.  Joseph  Clark,  Ikoko,  Congo  Free  State. 

Denmark 225-228 

P.  D.  Koch,  M.  D.,  Copenhagen,  Denmark. 

Egypt 228-233 

The  Rev.  Chauncey  Murch,  Luxor,  Egypt 
(with  words  from  native  pastors). 

France 233-243 

Rev.  Charles  Bieler,  B.  D.,  and  Madame  Blanche 
d'Aubigne  Bieler,  Paris,  France. 

Germany 243-250 

Professor  J.  G.  Fetzer,  Wandsleek,  and  Pastor  Friedr. 
Kaiser,  Bonn,  Germany. 

Greece 250-255 

The    Rev.    Dr.    Demetrius     Kalopothakis,    Athens, 
Greece. 

Great  Britain 255-259 

F.  F.  Belsey,  J.  P.,  London,  England. 

Hungary 259-264 

The  Rev.  Gyula  Forgacs,  Budapest,  Hungary. 
X 


Contents 

PAGE 

Italy 264-266 

Professor  Dr.  Cav.  Ernesto  Filippini,  Rome,  Italy. 

India 266-274 

Principal  Cotelingam,  Wardlaw  College,  Bellary, 
India,  and  the  report  of  the  Rev.  Richard  Purges, 
Secretary    of    the    India    Sunday   School    Union. 

Japan 274-288 

Frank  L.  Brown,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  U.  S.  A. 

Korea 288-292 

The  Rev.  John  G.  Dunlop,  Fakui,  Japan. 

Korea 293-297 

Frank  L.  Brown. 

Mexico 298-299 

Compiled  from  reports  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  John  W. 
Butler,  Mexico  City,  and  the  Rev.  C.  Scott  Williams, 
San  Luis  Potosi,  Mexico. 

Negroes  in  America 3°o~3°6 

Dr.  James  E.  Shepard,  Durham,  N.  C,  U.  S.  A. 

Norway 306-309 

The  Rev,  J.  M.  Sellevold,  Christiania,  Norway. 

Palestine 309-311 

The  Rev.  A.  E.  Thompson,  Jerusalem. 

Russia 311-316 

Herr  John  Hanisch,  Zyrardow,  Russia. 

Spain 316-317 

The  Rev.  Francisco  Albricias,  Alicante,  Spain. 

Sweden 318-321 

August  Palm,  Stockholm,  Sweden. 

Switzerland 321-323 

G.  de  Tscharner,  Berne,  Switzerland. 

Turkey 324-33° 

The  Rev.  Dr.  Thomas  D.  Christie,  Tarsus,  Asia 
Minor. 

United  States 33°-3S3 

W.  N.  Hartshorn,  Boston,  Mass.,  U.  S.  A. 

Hawaii 333-335 

Represented  on  the  Convention  Program  by  the  Rev. 
E.  B.  Turner,  of  Honolulu. 

The  West  Indies 335-34° 

Dr.  Frank  Woodbury,  Halifax,  N.  S.;  W.  C.  Pearce, 
Chicago,  111.;  Rev.  Dr.  W.  Scott  Whittier,  Port  of 
Spain,  Trinidad. 

xi 


Contents 

PAGE 

The  Significance  of  the  Convention 340-342 

The  Rev.  Dr.  N.  Walling  Clark,  Rome,  Italy. 
A  Closing  Message 342-343 

Dr.  George  W.  Bailey,  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  U.  S.  A. 

President  Meyer's  Closing  Words 344-346 

"Arise,  Let  Us  Go  Hence" 346-349 

The  Rev.  Dr.  B.  B.  Tyler,  Denver,  Colorado,  U.  S.  A. 
"  The  Architect  of  the  Amphitheatre" 350-353 

Poem    by    the    Rev.  Walter    J.  Mathams,    Orkney 
Isles,  Great  Britain. 


Appendix 

World  Statistics  of  the  Sunday  School 357 

World's  Sunday  School  Conventions  Previously  Held 358 

Officers  of  the  World's  Fourth  Sunday  School  Convention, 

Jerusalem,  1904 358 

The  World's  Sunday  School  Association,  officers  elected  at 
the    World's    Fifth    Sunday    School    Convention, 

Rome,  1907 359-362 

Comitato    Esecutivo    (Executive    Committee)     and   Local 
Committees  of  the  World's  Fifth  Sunday  School 

Convention 362-364 

The  Program 364-369 

Purpose — Policy — Field  of  the  World's  Sunday  School  Asso- 
ciation    370-371 

Resolutions 37^-375 

The  International  Lesson  Committee  Meeting  in  London 376-385 

A  Morning  Worship 386-390 

The  Rev.  Henry  Christopher  McCook,  D.  D.,  LL.D. 
Sc.  D.,  Devon,  Pa.  U.  S.  A. 

Order  of  Service  of  International  Praise 390-394 

Rev.  Carey  Bonner,  London,  England. 

The  Apostle  Paul  in  Rome 394-398 

An  Order  of  Service  for  World's  Sunday  School  Day, 
by  the  Rev.  Dr.  James  A.  Worden,  Philadelphia, 
U.  S.  A. 

Cable  Messages 398-399 

"  The  Rome  Pilgrims  " 399 

The  "  Romanic  Elementary  Union  " 399 

The  List  of  Enrolled  Delegates 400-409 

The  Report  of  the  Enrolment  Committee 410-412 

Index 413-420 

xii 


F.  F.  Belsey,  J.  P..  Great  Britain, 
Preaident  First  World's  Sunday-School  Convention,  London, 


List  of  Illustrations 

OPPOSITE  PAGE 

The  Rev,  F.  B.  Meyer,  B.  A Frontispiece .  .  .  ii 

Edward  K.  Warren vi 

F.  F.  Belsey,  J.  P xii 

The  Rev.  Dr.  John  Potts viii 

The  World's  Sunday  School  Executive  Committee i 

The  Automobile  Ride  in  Boston 4 

Off  for  the  Automobile  Ride  in  Boston 6 

The  "Romanic"  of  the  White  Star  Line  Sailing  from  Boston, 

April  27,  1907 9 

E.  K.  Warren,  W.  N.  Hartshorn,  Dr.  Geo.  W.  Bailey,  A.  B. 

McCrillis 14 

The  "Neckar"  of  the  North  German  Lloyd  in  the  Harbor  of 

Naples 20 

Delegates  on  the  "Neckar  " 26 

Missionaries  in  the  Court  of  the  Algiers  Mission  Band 34 

The  Methodist  Building 38 

A  Message  from  the  King  of  Italy 40 

President  Roosevelt's  Letter 43 

Pastor  Basche,  Pastor  J.  M.   Sellevold,  Mr.   G.  Nesse,  Rev. 

Joseph    Clark,    Miss    Italia    Garibaldi,     Demetrius 

Kalopothakis,  The  Rev.  E.  B.  Turner,  Mrs.  E.  B. 

Waterhouse 44 

Delegates  Meeting  in  Coliseum,  with  Marion  La^^Tance  Reading 

the  Scriptures 50 

The  Canadian  Delegation 52 

A  Glimpse  of  the  Exhibit 76 

Puteoli,  Paul's  Landing-place,  near  Naples 79 

Tomb  of  Sextus  Pompeius  Justus 80 

Tomb  of  M.  Cor\dnus  Cotta 82 

The  Servian  Wall  at  the  Porta  Capena  Gate 84 

The  Traditional  House  of  St.  Paul  in  Rome 86 

The  Basilica  of  the  Palatine 92 

The  Aqueduct  of  Claudius 104 

The  Servian  Wall  on  the  Southern  Slope  of  the  Aventine no 

Tomb  of  Caius  Cestius 112 

Basilica  of  St.  Paul's  Church,  Rome 116 

xiii 


List  of  Illustrations 


PAGE 


Rev.  J,  G.  Dunlop,    Rev.    Carey   Bonner,   Marion  Lawrance, 

Prof.  Cav.  Ernesto  Filippini 150 

Missionary  Circles" 168 

'The  King's  Bags" 172 

A  Missionary  Contributions  Thermometer 176 

Missionaries  in  Attendance  at  the  Convention,  with  Members  of 

the  Executive  Committee 193 

Delegates  from  Bohemia 204 

Delegates  from  Bulgaria 210 

Delegates  from  Denmark 226 

The  Egyptian  Delegates 230 

Pastor  Henri  Anet,  Pastor  Emile  Lenoir,  Mr.  Chas.  Lenoir, 
Madam  A.   Bieler,   Pastor  A.   Bieler,   Mademoiselle 

Delord 234 

The  German  Delegation 244 

The  British  Delegation 256 

The  Hungarian  Delegates 260 

Delegates  from  India 266 

Delegates  from  Japan 274 

Delegates  from  Palestine 308 

Miss   Canada   Howie,    Ghosn-el-Howie,    Miss   Rubie   Howie 

Mr.  Edward  Y.  Spurr 310 

Spain  and  Portugal 316 

The  Swedish  Delegates 320 

Delegates  from  the  Levant 324 

The  American  Delegation 332 

The  Delegates  in  the  Coliseum,  May  23,  1907 350 

The  Joint  Meeting  of  the  British  and  American  Sections  of  the 
International     Lesson     Committee,     London,     June 

19-21,  1907 , 378 

"Amen,  Hallelujah!"     (Words  and  Music) 394 

xiv 


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The  Boston  Meetings  and  Reception 

By  George  W.  Penniman 

The  presence  in  Boston,  Friday,  April  26,  1907,  of  more 
than  three  hundred  representative  Sunday-school  workers 
of  the  United  States  and  Canada — scheduled  to  sail  Sat- 
urday, April  27,  on  the  White  Star  Line  Steamer  Romanic 
for  the  World's  Fifth  Sunday  School  Convention  in  Rome, 
May  18-23 — ^^'^s  greatly  appreciated  by  the  Sunday-school 
workers  of  Boston  and  vicinity. 

The  Boston  Daily  Globe,  April  27,  devoted  nearly  four 
columns,  with  illustrations,  to  a  report  of  the  reception 
accorded  the  distinguished  visitors.     The  Globe  said: 

"Nearly  all  the  delegates  arrived  in  Boston  by  Thursday 
and  their  advent  was  made  the  occasion  of  an  exhibition  of 
that  enthusiastic  and  tactful  hospitality  with  which  Boston 
delights  to  welcome  visitors  who  come  for  a  special  purpose. 

''These  guests  were  joined  by  the  members  of  the  Inter- 
national Lesson  Committee,  which  had  been  in  session  here 
this  week  at  the  Hotel  Brunswick,  and  the  combined  com- 
pany were  taken  in  hand  by  a  committee  headed  by  Dr. 
Samuel  B.  Capen,  president  of  the  International  Sunday 
School  Convention  of  1906,  while  associated  with  him  v/ere 
William  N.  Hartshorn  and  ten  presidents  and  ex-presidents 
of  Massachusetts  Sunday-school  organizations  and  denom- 
inational clubs. 

"The  first  incident  was  a  reception  by  Lieutenant-Gov- 
ernor Draper  at  the  State  House  in  the  'Hah  of  Flags,' 
followed  by  an  automobile  ride  through  the  most  beautiful 
portions  of  the  city.  In  this  the  committee  had  the  assistance 
of  E.  J.  Woolley,  prominent  in  Boston's  business  circles, 
through  whose  influence  a  large  number  of  automobile 
dealers  tendered  the  use  of  some  of  their  best  machines  for  the 
occasion.  Although  the  streets  were  dry  and  the  wind  high, 
causing  discomfort  from  dust,  the  participants  voted  the 
ride  a  success  and  were  greath-  pleased  with  the  sightseeing. 
I  I 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

''An  informal  reception  at  the  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
W.  N.  Hartshorn,  54  The  Fenway,  was  tendered  the  guests. 
Among  those  present  were:  Mr.  H.  J.  Heinz,  Mr.  E.  K. 
Warren  and  wife,  Mr.  F.  A.  Wells  and  wife,  Mr.  Marion 
Lawrance,  the  Rev.  B.  B.  Tyler,  D.D.,  and  wife,  the  Rev. 
Dr.  O.  P.  Gifford,  the  Hon.  John  R.  Pepper,  President 
W.  D.  McKenzie,  President  J.  S.  Stahr,  LL.D.,  Mr.  A.  B. 
McCrillis  and  wife,  Mr.  John  D.  Haskell  and  wife,  and 
many  others.  This  reception  was  followed  by  a  reception 
and  banquet  at  Ford  Hall.  Here  opportunity  was  given 
for  the  delegates  to  become  acquainted  with  each  other,  and 
the  hour  before  entering  the  banquet  hall  was  fiUed  with 
introductions  and  the  renewal  of  friendships. 

"After-dinner  speeches  were  'hmited  to  five  minutes,'  as 
per  announcement,  but  the  bottled-up  eloquence  could  not 
escape  fast  enough  to  give  the  ten  men  on  the  program  time, 
and  five  of  them  had  to  content  themselves  with  applauding 
the  others. 

"Mr.  Hartshorn  caUed  the  assembly  to  order,  and  after 
the  doxology  and  a  prayer  by  Prof.  Ira  M.  Price,  the  Hon. 
Robert  F.  Raymond,  of  New  Bedford,  president  of  the 
Massachusetts  Sunday  School  Association,  was  introduced 
as  chairman. 

"The  speakers,  in  addition  to  Mr.  Hartshorn  and  Presi- 
dent Raymond,  were:  the  Rev.  Dr.  B.  B.  Tyler,  of  Colorado, 
president  of  the  International  Convention  of  1902;  the  Rev. 
Dr.  E.  I.  Rexford,  principal  of  the  Diocesan  College  in 
Montreal,  and  the  Rev.  O.  P.  Gifford,  of  Buffalo,  formerly 
pastor  of  the  Warren  Avenue  Baptist  Church  of  this 
city. 

"A  vote  of  thanks  for  the  abounding  hospitality  of  Boston 
was  proposed  by  the  Rev.  J.  C.  Massee,  of  North  Carolina, 
and  carried  by  a  rising  vote  of  the  visitors.  Among  other 
things,  the  resolutions  said,  'Many  entertainers  have  done 
excellently,  but  the  Boston  Sunday-school  workers  have  ex- 
celled them  all.    The  courtesies  extended  have  been  unusual 


Boston  Meetings  and  Reception 

and  picturesque.  To  this  delightful  day  the  automobile 
owners  of  the  city  have  contributed  in  a  magnificent  ride 
about  Boston.  We  are  heartily  grateful  and  pledge  renewed 
allegiance  to  our  great  work.  We  are  sure  that  the  fellow- 
ship of  this  day  will  add  appreciably  to  the  pleasure  of  the 
coming  voyage,  and  the  value  of  the  convention.' 

''The  gathering  broke  up  shortly  before  8  o'clock,  and 
all  proceeded  to  Tremont  Temple,  where  a  large  audience 
had  already  assembled. 

"After  an  opening  service  of  song  led  by  Charles  L.  Estey, 
of  Brockton,  Hon.  Samuel  B.  Capen,  LL.D.,  the  presiding 
officer  of  the  evening,  called  upon  the  Rev.  Dr.  P.  S.  Henson, 
pastor  of  Tremont  Temple,  to  read  the  Scriptures,  and  Prof. 
Charles  R.  Hemphill,  of  Louisville,  Kentucky,  to  offer 
praver." 

In  his  opening  remarks  Dr.  Capen,  referring  to  the 
presence  of  the  distinguished  Sunday-school  workers,  the 
guests  of  the  evening  said,  "They  represent  one  of  the 
greatest  movements  of  all  the  ages,"  and  he  added," Blot  out 
the  work  which  these  gentlemen  are  doing,  and  what  has 
been  done  during  the  past  twenty-five  years,  and  you  have 
put  back  the  coming  of  the  Kingdom  by  a  century." 

To  the  Reverend  Dr.  A.  F.  Schauffler,  of  New  York, 
Secretary  of  the  Lesson  Committee  was  given  the  topic 
"Why  the  Present  International  Lesson  System?"  He 
said  in  part: 

"Time  was  in  the  Sunday-school  world  when  every  school 
and  almost  every  teacher  did  as  they  did  in  Israel  at  a  certain 
time,  that  is,  did  as  seemed  good  in  their  own  eyes  in  the 
matter  of  portions  of  Scripture  to  be  studied.  Sometimes 
in  a  given  school  varied  helps  were  used  in  the  same  session. 

"It  was  noticed  by  leaders  thirty-seven  years  ago  that 
sometimes  the  Old  Testament  was  almost  entirely  abandoned 
or,  at  least,  not  studied.  It  was  noticed  that  sometimes  the 
lessons  got  into  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans,  and  whenever 
they  got  there  they  never  got  out.     It  was  confusion  worse 

3 


Sunday  Schools  the  W^orld  Around 

confounded  in  the  Sunday-school  world  from  a  pedagogical 
standpoint. 

"The  result  was  that  before  1872,  leaders  like  B.  F. 
Jacobs,  J.  H.  Vincent,  now  Bishop,  Edward  Eggleston,  and 
others  of  that  type  got  together  to  see  whether  some  im- 
provement could  not  be  made  along  the  line  of  Sunday- 
school  study  of  the  Word  of  God.  That  was  the  genesis  of 
the  International  Uniform  Lesson  System.  We  now  are 
in  the  outflowering  and  fruitage  of  that  movement  which 
started  thirty-five  years  ago. 

''The  evolution  of  the  International  Lesson  System  has 
made  millions  and  millions  pulsate  to  the  great  thoughts  of 
divine  revelation  from  Sabbath  to  Sabbath.  This  power 
in  uniformity  has  been  felt  in  the  Sunday-school  world  from 
California  to  Maine,  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific,  from 
the  new  world  to  the  old.  Thus  it  is,  that  every  Sunday 
the  vastly  major  part  of  the  Sunday-school  world  turns  to 
the  same  theme  in  the  same  book,  for  the  study  of  the  same 
truth,  under  the  guidance  of  the  same  Spirit. 

"  It  is  not  without  significance  that  in  India  alone,  for 
example,  the  International  lessons  are  translated  into  forty 
different  languages  and  dialects.  It  is  not  without  sig- 
nificance that  in  New  Zealand  and  Australia,  Cape  Colony 
and  India,  Japan,  Corea  and  China,  as  well  as  Europe  and 
America,  they  are  pulsating  in  the  realm  of  Sunday-school 
thought,  to  the  same  purpose  and  the  same  desire  and  the 
same  supreme  end,  and  are  traveling  along  the  same  path- 
way. This  is  what  the  International  system  of  lessons  has 
been,  under  the  blessing  of  God,  able  to  reach,  and  this,  by 
the  blessing  of  God,  it  shall  continue  to  prosecute  to  the 
best  of  its  ability. 

"  Has  the  International  system  become  outworn  ?  I  am 
one  of  those  who  believe  that  it  has  not.  Although  still 
international,  and  still  largely  pulsating  along  the  same 
general  lines,  there  will,  undoubtedly,  be  gradations  of 
lessons  according  to  age  and  intelligence  of  scholars. 

4 


'//  " 


Boston  Meetings  and  Reception 

"  Our  Lesson  Committee,  which  has  sat  here  in  this  beau- 
tiful city  of  Boston  during  the  last  two  and  a  half  days,  has 
made  up  its  mind  to  recommend  to  the  International  Con- 
vention, to  be  held  in  Louisville  'next  year,  a  quadruple 
graded  system;  first,  for  beginners,  uniform;  and  then  for 
primaries,  uniform  among  ourselves;  then  a  general  lesson 
for  those  above  the  primary  ages;  and  then  an  advanced 
course — a  quartet  which  will  make  sweet  music,  holding  us 
together,  however,  with  international  sympathies,  under 
international  guidance,  and  with  international  aims  in 
view." 

Professor  Ira  M.  Price,  Ph.D.,  of  Chicago  University, 
a  member  of  the  Lesson  Committee,  presented  a  clear  view 
of  ''The  Lesson  Committee  at  Work,"  and  told  "How  the 
Lessons  are  Selected."  Of  the  personnel  of  the  Committee 
elected  at  the  Denver  International  Convention,  in  1902 — 
(the  Committee  being  selected  for  a  period  of  six  years — 
the  next  one  to  be  chosen  by  the  Louisville  Convention  in 
June,  1908) — he  said: 

"The  Lesson  Committee  consists  of  fifteen  men,  three 
from  Canada,  and  twelve  from  the  United  States.  Denom- 
inationally, there  are  three  Baptists,  three  Methodists,  three 
Presbyterians,  one  Congregationalist,  one  Disciple,  one 
Episcopalian,  one  German  Reformed,  one  Lutheran,  and 
one  United  Brethren.  According  to  ecclesiastical  orders 
there  are  twelve  ordained  ministers  and  three  laymen. 

"As  to  their  present  occupation,  there  are  eight  who  are 
professors  or  officials  in  educational  institutions,  five  are 
pastors  or  doing  work  closely  related  to  the  pastorate,  and 
two  are  business  men.  Geographically  these  men  are 
distributed  as  follows:  One  in  Montreal,  one  in  Toronto, 
one  in  Winnipeg,  two  in  Denver,  one  in  St.  Louis,  one  in 
Chicago,  tw^o  in  Louisville,  one  in  Memphis,  Tenn.;  one  in 
Dayton,  Ohio;  one  in  Buffalo,  one  in  Lancaster,  Pa.,  one  in 
New  York  City  and  one  in  Hartford,  Conn. 

"  The  Lesson  Committee  is  a  composite  of  nine  different 
5 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

denominations,  with  fifteen  different  points  of  view  on  details 
and  but  one  point  of  view  on  essentials. 

"  According  to  the  dictates  of  the  International  Conven- 
tion this  committee  works  under  the  following  restrictions: 
(i)  It  must  cover  the  Bible  in  a  course  of  studies  embracing 
six  years'  work,  or  two  hundred  and  eighty-eight  lessons. 
(2)  There  have  been  determined  for  us  the  kinds  of  courses 
for  which  we  must  select  lessons,  viz.,  a  beginners'  course, 
a  general  course,  and  an  advanced  course.  (3)  There  are 
certain  kinds  of  lessons  which  we  must  interject  into  the 
general  course  at  specified  times  in  the  year.  For  example, 
we  must  provide  for  one  temperance  lesson  every  quarter. 
In  spite  of  the  restrictions  laid  upon  us,  we  have  appeals 
every  year  for  the  incorporation  into  the  scheme  of  a  lesson 
or  lessons  on  almost  every  subject  on  which  reforms  are 
being  inaugurated  or  carried  out. 

"  After  the  Committee  has  carefully  gone  over  the  lessons 
of  a  given  year,  they  are  printed  and  sent  out  to  seventy-two 
publishers  and  lesson  writers  in  all  parts  of  the  world,  who 
are  asked  to  send  in  their  suggestions  and  criticisms  for 
another  revision.  When  we  meet  the  following  year  all 
the  criticisms  sent  in  are  carefully  classified  by  the  secretary, 
taken  up  and  gone  over  minutely  by  the  Lesson  Committee, 
with  the  proof  lessons  before  them.  I  have  here  in  my  hands 
over  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  suggestions  that  have 
come  in  from  Great  Britain  and  India  and  America  for  our 
consideration  in  the  final  revision  of  the  lessons  for  1909.  In 
our  three  full  sessions,  covering  forty-eight  lessons,  we 
changed  and  modified  thirty-one  themes,  thirty-three 
Golden  Texts,  twenty-two  lesson  assignments,  nine  com- 
mittal verses,  and  we  cut  out  six  lessons  and  inserted  six  new 
lessons. 

"  The  lessons  we  use  are  the  result  of  the  work  of  a  sub- 
committee of  the  entire  Lesson  Committee  present  on  one 
occasion,  of  the  criticisms  of  all  the  leaders  in  the  Sunday- 
school  world,  revised  by  the  Lesson  Committee,  and  then 

6 


Wk  ^  S  ^  '"  ft 

^  M  E  ^ 


I 


«l    »i    11    hi     :s      %«;    f: 


Boston  Meetings  and  Reception 

put  into  your  hands.  The  entire  Sunday-school  world  has 
a  hand  in  it,  and  it  is  done  in  as  thorough  a  manner  as  our 
Lesson  Committee  knows  how  to  do  it.  We  do  the  w^ork 
just  as  faithfully  and  carefully  as  we  know  how.  In  all  the 
work  that  the  Lesson  Committee  does,  its  chief  purpose  and 
highest  aim  is  to  serve  our  day  and  generation  and  to  promote 
the  glory  of  God  on  earth." 

An  interesting  paper  on  ''The  Lesson  Editors  and  Writers 
at  W'ork,"  prepared  by  the  Reverend  F.  N.  Peloubet,  D.D., 
of  Newton,  Mass.,  was  read  by  Prof.  Amos  R.  W^ells, 
Managing  Editor  of  The  Christian  Endeavor  W^orld,  and 
Associate  Editor  of  "Peloubet's  Notes." 

Mr.  Marion  Lawrance,  General  Secretary  of  the  Inter- 
national Sunday  School  Association,  gave  a  graphic  review 
of  the  Association's  endeavors  in  answering  the  question: 
"Why  Organized  Sunday-school  Work?"  and  represented 
the  Executive  Committee  as  an  archer,  ready  wdth  a  good 
bow  and  wath  a  quiver  full  of  arrows;  every  arrow^  to  be  shot 
at  a  bull's-eye  of  the  target,  and  every  arrows  with  a  name. 
He  cited  as  the  names  of  some  of  these  arrows:  "Co-opera- 
tion," "Stimulation,"  "Education,"  "Evangelization," 
"InteUigent  Bible  Study,"  "Organized  Classes,"  and  many 
more,  adding  "and  still  another  that  is  to  be  shot  after  all 
the  others,  right  into  the  bull's-eye  of  our  target,  the  arrow 
of  "salvation,"  which  stands  for  the  saving  of  all  of  our 
scholars  and  bringing  into  the  church  all  the  members  of  the 
Sunday-school.  W'e  believe  that  all  of  our  Sunday-schools 
should  teach  first  of  all  toward  Jesus  Christ,  and  then 
toward  the  church,  to  which  the  Sunday-school  belongs. 
Mr.  Lawrance  closed  by  saying:  "It  is  the  purpose  of  this 
great  committee  to  shoot  these  arrows  into  the  very  bull's- 
eye  of  the  target,  and  they  use  always  and  ever  the  same  good 
bow,  and  that  good  bow  is  '  organized  Sunday-school 
work.'  Friends,  there  is  no  other  agency  or  agencies  that 
will  place  these  arrows,  and  all  the  others  in  the  quiver, 
where  they  ought  to  be,  so  quickly,  so  cheaply,  and  so  effec- 

7 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

lively  as  '  Organized  Sunday-school  Work,'  through  its 
fifteen  thousand  Sunday-school  conventions  every  year,  held 
in  every  corner  of  our  land." 

''What  One  State  is  Doing,"  was  told  in  an  entertaining 
manner  by  Mr.  H.  J.  Heinz,  President  of  the  Pennsylvania 
State  Association. 

Pennsylvania  is  carrying  its  work  into  every  county  in  the 
state,  every  county  being  organized  and  holding  an  annual 
convention.  There  are  one  million  six  hundred  thousand 
boys  and  girls,  officers  and  teachers.  One-fourth  of  the 
total  population  of  the  "Keystone"  State  is  enrolled  in 
Sunday-schools.  Our  state  lays  especial  emphasis  on 
teacher-training.  It  recognizes  that  the  great  demand  of 
the  Sunday-school  is  for  trained  teachers,  a  well-prepared 
course  of  study,  an  enthusiastic  superintendent,  and  more 
students  enrolled  than  in  any  other  state  in  the  Union. 
Last  year  over  two  thousand  were  graduated. 

It  has  divided  the  state  into  districts  and  placed  a  super- 
i  ntendent  in  charge  of  every  district.  In  this  way  each  of  the 
sixty-seven  counties  comes  into  close  touch  with  the  indi- 
vidual school.  It  provides  annually  over  $20,000  for  the 
state  work  and  expends  that  sum  under  the  supervision  of 
a  Board  of  Directors,  who  have  for  years  been  serving  in 
that  capacity  and  who  give  as  close  and  direct  attention  to 
the  work  of  the  organization  as  if  it  were  a  large  railroad 
corporation  or  mercantile  institution.  The  several  counties 
provided  as  much  more  in  addition  for  their  local  work. 

Mr.  E.  K.  Warren,  Three  Oaks,  Mich.,  President  of  the 
World's  Fourth  Sunday  School  Convention,  presented 
some  of  the  plans  of  "The  World's  Fifth  Sunday  School 
Convention  in  Rome,"  and  aroused  keen  interest  in  the 
coming  gathering. 

In  the  absence  of  the  Reverend  Dr.  John  Potts,  of  Toronto, 
Chairman  of  the  Lesson  Committee,  who  was  to  have  given 
an  address  on  "Arise,  let  us  go  hence,"  the  presiding  officer 
called  on  Mr.  W.  N.  Hartshorn,  Chairman  of  the  Inter- 

8 


The  Cruise  of  the  Romanic 

national    Executive    Committee,    who    spoke    the    closing 
words  of  the  great  meeting. 


The  Cruise  of  the  Romanic 

By  James  W.  Kinnear, 
President  of  the  Rome  Pilgrims  Association. 

The  Sunday-schools  of  Boston  entertained  most  hos- 
pitably all  pilgrims  to  the  World's  Sunday  School  Conven- 
tion the  day  before  the  Romanic  sailed.  An  automobile 
ride  through  the  suburbs  of  Boston  was  arranged  for  our 
benefit,  and  those  who  took  the  ride,  for  reasons  of  their 
own,  will  not  forget  it.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hartshorn  tendered 
us  a  Inception  in  their  beautiful  home  on  the  Fenway,  Boston. 
In  the  evening  a  banquet  was  spread  for  us  at  the  Ford 
Building,  after  which  a  mass  meeting  was  held  at  Tremont 
Temple;  and  if  the  good  wishes  of  our  Boston  friends  had 
anv  efficacy  a  pleasant  trip  was  assured  before  we  embarked. 

Early  Saturday  morning,  April  27,  we  were  driven  to 
the  White  Star  dock,  where  we  found  already  hundreds  of 
passengers  and  their  friends  crowding  the  decks  of  the 
good  ship  Romanic  which  was  to  be  our  home  for  so  many 
days. 

As  the  hour  of  departure  approached  the  whistles  blew, 
the  gong  was  sounded  repeatedly,  and  all  visitors  ordered 
ashore.  Slowly  the  great  vessel  began  to  move  out  of  the 
slip  away  from  the  dock  amid  the  cheers  and  tears  of  pil- 
grims and  friends. 

After  the  liner  had  cleared  the  heads  and  we  could  no 
longer  distinguish  our  friends,  we  stood  tenderly  watching 
the  rapidly  receding  shores  of  our  native  land.  Some  of 
us  had  never  placed  the  great  ocean  between  us  and  home 
before,  and  so  you  will  understand  why  it  was  necessary 

9 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

for  us  as  the  outlines  of  land  grew  fainter  and  fainter  to 
swallow  vigorously  several  times  in  order  to  keep  our  hearts 
in  their  proper  places. 

As  the  swell  of  the  broad  Atlantic  became  more  noticeable 
and  land  had  faded  from  view,  we  turned  our  attention 
to  our  traveling  companions.  What  an  assemblage  of 
Christian  people  of  all  evangelical  denominations!  Nearly 
every  state  and  territory  in  the  Union,  together  with  Canada 
and  Hawaii,  had  contributed  to  our  passenger  list.  We 
were  a  representative  crowd.  There  were  old  and  young, 
serious  and  gay;  in  fact,  all  sorts,  but  every w^here  the  spirit 
of  Christian  fellowship  prevailed. 

Hourly  w^e  expected  the  gentle  swell  of  the  Atlantic  to 
increase  in  proportion,  and  many  were  armed  with  smelling 
salts,  chewing  gum,  etc.,  prepared  to  meet  any  swell  that 
might  be  developed;  but  the  seas  continued  smooth  and  the 
breezes  gentle,  and  no  foe  worthy  of  our  preparations 
presented  itself. 

There  were  nine  hundred  and  ninty-nine  human  souls 
on  board  our  ship  as  we  sailed  out  of  Boston  harbor.  Of 
these  two  hundred  and  forty-six  constituted  the  crew, 
three  hundred  and  thirty-five  first-class  passengers  and 
four  hundred  and  eighteen  steerage  passengers.  We  had 
no  second-class  passengers.  All  barriers  between  first  and 
second  class  passengers  on  ship-board  were  removed  and 
all  our  pilgrims  traveled  first-class,  having  exactly  the 
same  service  in  both  forward  and  aft  dining  saloons. 

Sunday  morning,  April  28,  we  found  our  good  ship  in 
the  midst  of  a  dense  fog,  supposed  to  be  caused  by  the  warm 
water  of  the  Gulf  Stream  in  which  we  were  then  sailing 
coming  in  contact  with  cold  strata  of  air;  and  the  great 
whistle  of  the  steamer  sounded  every  minute,  much  to  our 
discomfort. 

At  ten  o'clock  we  assembled  in  the  dining  saloon,  prayers 
were  read  by  the  ship's  Purser,  Mr.  Rodgers,  and  Dr. 
Tyler,  of  Denver,  preached  an  able  sermon  from  the  second 

10 


The  Cruise  of  the  Romanic 

part  of  the  twelfth  verse  of  the  second  chapter  of  Acts, 
"What  meaneth  this?"  At  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon 
we  attended  the  Romanic  Sunday-school  in  the  same  place, 
and  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening  a  song  and  praise  service. 
Every  morning  at  the  hour  of  ten  a  praise  service  was  held 
lasting  forty-five  minutes.  These  meetings  were  well 
attended.  Throughout  the  meetings  the  music  was  in 
charge  of  the  Rev.  E.  M.  Fuller,  of  Vermont,  assisted  by 
Miss  Jean  Wormley,  of  Tennessee,  at  the  piano;  by  Mrs. 
Geo.  W.  Penniman  of  Massachusetts,  contralto  soloist; 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  B.  Wilson  of  Rhode  Island,  in  duets; 
and  by  a  quartet  consisting  of  Miss  E.  L.  F.  Gary  of 
Rhode  Island,  Mrs.  Mary  Foster  Bryner  of  Illinois,  Mr. 
E.  G.  Foster  of  Ghicago,  and  the  Rev.  J.  L.  Peacock  of 
Rhode  Island.  We  venture  that  never  were  so  many 
religious  and  social  meetings  held  upon  this  steamer  during 
any  of  her  voyages. 

Everything  had  been  arranged  for  our  comfort  on  ship- 
board. In  fact,  our  great  ship  was  verily  a  floating  hotel, 
but  deep  down  in  the  hold  where  the  boilers  and  stokers  are 
located  we  knew  that  many  men  were  shoveling  the  coal 
which  propelled  our  great  ship  on  its  crusade  journey, 
and  our  hearts  echoed-  a  fervent  amen  as  Marion  Lawrance 
prayed  one  morning  for  the  officers  and  men. 

The  bugle  calls  became  a  part  of  our  daily  life,  and  we 
looked  forward  to  them  with  pleasure.  It  was  not  the  life 
of  the  ordinary  transatlantic  traveler;  we  were  a  band  of 
Christians  making  the  same  journey,  upon  the  same  mission, 
to  wit,  the  extension  of  our  Master's  kingdom  through  the 
medium  of  the  Sunday-school;  and  there  was  a  bond  of 
sympathy  which  bound  us  closely  together.  In  our  morn- 
ing walks,  in  our  social  gatherings,  while  sightseeing  ashore, 
no  matter  where,  we  were  constantly  forming  new  and  de- 
lightful friendships. 

After  being  out  of  sight  of  land  for  so  many  days  we  were 
really  hungering  for  something  more  substantial  than  the 

II 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

briny  deep,  and  so  when  the  word  came  from  the  captain's 
cabin  one  morning  that  land  was  in  sight  we  all  hastened 
to  the  side  of  the  vessel  and  scanned  the  horizon  in  every 
direction  for  a  glimpse  of  terra  firma.  Finally,  with  the 
aid  of  glasses,  on  the  port  side  we  could  see  an  outline 
which  resembled  a  cloud  just  where  the  sky  seemed  to  dip 
into  the  ocean,  but  it  grew  larger  rapidly  until  we  could 
distinctly  see  the  outlines  of  hills  and  mountains.  This 
land  was  one  of  the  Azores.  We  passed  it  by,  but  were 
told  that  the  next  morning  at  five  o'clock  we  would  drop 
anchor  in  front  of  the  island  St.  Michael,  w^here  for  the 
first  time  in  seven  days  we  would  be  permitted  to  stand 
upon  solid  earth. 

When  we  stepped  on  deck  Friday  morning,  May  3,  we 
found  our  ship  anchored  in  the  little  harbor  in  front  of 
Ponta  Delgada,  a  city  of  18,000  inhabitants,  on  the  Island 
of  St.  Michael. 

Here  we  found  an  interesting  people  under  the  Portuguese 
government  and  a  quaint  old  town  which  furnished  Chris- 
topher Columbus  a  resting-place  on  his  return  from  his 
first  trip  to  the  West  Indies.  Here,  too,  we  caught  our 
first  glimpse  of  the  extreme  poverty  which  prevails  in  so 
many  parts  of  Europe  and  Asia. 

After  a  drive  through  the  narrow  streets  of  the  town  a 
little  mission  church  was  visited.  Here  three  sisters  by  the 
name  of  Wright  from  England  had  founded  an  independent 
mission,  erected  a  small  Protestant  Church,  which  they  had 
maintained  for  years.  These  devoted  Christian  women 
have  given  the  best  years  of  their  lives  to  this  work,  making 
many  sacrifices  in  order  to  maintain  it,  and  although,  as  we 
afterwards  learned,  they  were  hard  pressed  for  money,  they 
did  not  ask  for  a  cent.  This  was  in  striking  contrast  to 
the  throng  of  people  w^hich  beset  us  clamoring  for  money 
wherever  we  appeared  in  the  streets. 

The  earnestness  of  these  women  and  their  quiet  faith 
that  the  Lord  would  provide  for  them  and  their  work  made 


The  Cruise  of  the  Romanic 

a  wonderful  impression  upon  our  people,  and  that  evening 
after  dinner,  while  our  good  ship  was  ploughing  through 
the  waters  bearing  us  toward  Madeira  Island  where  we 
were  to  make  our  next  stop,  we  held  a  missionary  convention 
in  the  dining  saloon  of  our  steamship,  our  president, 
Mr.  E.  K.  Warren,  presiding,  and  in  a  few  moments  over 
one  thousand  dollars  were  raised  for  the  mission  at  Ponta 
Delgada. 

Sunday  morning.  May  5,  we  entered  the  bay  in  frcmt  of 
Funchal.  Here  we  were  to  receive  Bishop  and  Mrs.  Hart- 
zell  who  were  to  journey  with  us  to  Rome.  You  can 
imagine  our  disappointment  when  the  city  authorities 
notified  us  that  the  city  was  under  quarantine  on  account 
of  smallpox,  and  no  one  could  land  or  be  received  on 
board,  if  we  desired  proper  clearance  papers.  So,  after 
lying  in  the  peaceful  harbor  for  about  an  hour  without 
dropping  anchor,  our  ship  steamed  away  toward  Gibraltar. 

We  were  sorry  not  to  see  Funchal  at  closer  range,  but  we 
were  far  more  sorry  to  lose  the  company  of  Bishop  and 
Mrs.  Hartzell  and  believed  they  w^ere  keenly  disappointed. 

We  arranged  to  send  them  a  letter,  and  a  purse  of 
something  like  one  hundred  dollars  for  their  mission  work 
to  make  up  to  some  extent  for  the  loss  of  their  trip. 

We  had  by  this  time  become  quite  well  acquainted  with 
the  officers  of  the  World's  Convention  and  our  fellowship 
with  them  and  the  many  other  Sunday-school  workers 
constituted  one  of  the  great  pleasures  of  the  trip.  Among 
those  sailing  on  the  Romanic  were  E.  K.  Warren,  President 
of  the  World's  Convention;  W.  N.  Hartshorn,  Chairman  of 
the  International  Executive  Committee;  Marion  Lawrance, 
International  General  Secretary;  H.  J.  Heinz,  President  of 
the  Pennsylvania  State  Sabbath  School  Association;  F.  A. 
Wells,  Treasurer  International  Association;  and  A.  B. 
McCriUis,  Treasurer  of  the  World's  Convention.  Nearly 
all  were  accompanied  by  their  families. 

There  were  several  instructive  lectures  given  on  the  ship, 
13 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

affording  pleasure  and  profit  to  those  who  heard  them. 
They  were  as  follows:  '^  Madeira  "  by  Rev.  J.  F.  Foster 
of  Louisiana;  "Gibraltar  and  its  Place  in  History,"  by 
Principal  E.  I.  Rexford  of  Montreal;  "Africa,"  Bishop 
Hartzell;  "Naples,"  Prof.  J.  I.  D.  Hinds,  Tennessee; 
"  Genoa  and  Pisa,"  Rev.  S.  T.  Morris,  Michigan;  "  Rome — 
The  Eternal  City,"  Prof.  Ira  M.  Price,  Illinois;  "Divine 
Leadings  in  the  Exposition  Enterprise,"  Dr.  C.  R.  Black- 
all  of  Pennsylvania. 

On  the  seventh  day  of  May  we  reached  Gibraltar,  that 
natural  fortress  which  Great  Britain  has  now  held  for  over 
two  hundred  years.  As  we  looked  at  this  rock  for  the 
first  time  we  recognized  it  at  once.  It  lacked  only  one 
thing  in  order  to  make  it  look  perfectly  natural,  and  that 
one  thing  was  the  word  "Prudential." 

About  the  first  thing  we  heard  from  shore,  to  our  surprise 
and  delight,  was  that  Bishop  Hartzell  was  there  ready  to 
join  us,  and  that  Mrs.  Hartzell  was  awaiting  us  at  Algiers, 
the  Bishop  having  succeeded  in  getting  out  of  Funchal 
by  another  steamer. 

We  drove  around  to  the  neutral  strip  of  land  between  the 
English  and  Spanish  possessions.  Here  we  found  the 
soldiers  of  these  two  great  nations  on  picket  duty,  pacing 
their  beaten  paths  on  either  side  of  the  neutral  land,  watch- 
ing each  other  with  as  much  care  as  if  the  nations  they 
represented  were  in  active  hostilities.  And  here  these 
guards   are   maintained   while   the   centuries   pass. 

But  we  could  not  leave  Gibraltar  without  a  missionary 
meeting,  and  so  we  were  driven  to  the  mission  rooms  where 
the  various  missionaries  of  the  city  had  assembled  to  meet 
us.  Their  work  here  is  mainly  among  the  soldiers  and 
seamen.  After  an  interesting  meeting  lasting  an  hour, 
we  raised  about  one  hundred  dollars  for  their  work  and 
returned  to  the  Romanic. 

About  one  o'clock  on  the  eighth  day  of  May  our  ship 
entered  the  bay  of  Algiers.     Long  before  we  came  to  anchor 

14 


The  Cruise  of  the  Romanic 

we  could  see  the  beautiful  city  from  the  deck.  The  hills 
sloped  gracefully  back  from  the  bay,  and  as  the  houses  are 
built  of  stone  and  plaster  they  appeared  pure  white  in  the 
bright  sunlight.  The  city  made  a  fine  appearance  from  the 
deck  of  our  steamer.  You  could  not  distinguish  between 
the  palaces  and  the  hovels. 

After  the  health  officers  were  satisfied  with  our  record 
the  long  stairway  was  dropped  beside  the  steamer,  and 
one  by  one  we  passed  down  and  were  rowed  ashore.  Here 
for  the  first  time  we  met  the  Muhammadan  on  his  native  soil 
and  witnessed  the  poverty  and  wretchedness  of  his  people. 

The  local  missionaries  and  many  who  had  come  in  from 
their  posts  on  camel  and  horseback  to  meet  us  assembled 
in  one  of  their  little  mission  rooms,  and  thither  about  fifty 
of  us  were  escorted  while  the  rest  of  our  party  w^as  driven 
through  the  city.  We  have  space  for  only  a  few  w^ords 
concerning  this  noble  band  of  men  and  women  who  are 
there  on  the  firing  line,  giving  their  lives  in  the  attempt  to 
break  down  the  Muhammadan  barriers  in  order  that  this 
people  may  be  brought  to  a  knowledge  of  our  blessed  Master. 
So  far  they  have  had  little  encouragement.  There  have 
been,  of  course,  some  converts,  and  we  hstened  with  much 
pleasure  to  some  of  them  as  they  testified  of  their  new  life 
and  of  the  joy  of  their  Christian  faith.  But  no  perceptible 
break  has  been  made  in  the  ranks  of  Muhammadanism, 
and  yet  these  noble  men  and  women,  veterans  as  they  are 
in  the  work,  with  little  encouragement,  and  receiving  only 
a  scant  living,  toil  on.  Such  faithfulness  and  perseverance 
must  win  in  the  end.  We  will  never  forget  our  visit  to  this 
little  mission,  nor  the  inspiration  received  from  Miss  Trotter, 
Mr.  Cook,  and  the  many  others  who  are  giving  their  lives 
to  this  work. 

After  our  visit  to  the  mission  we  were  escorted  through 
the  Muhammadan  quarters  of  the  city.  We  shall  not 
attempt  to  describe  the  wretchedness  we  witnessed  as  we 
saw  this  people  in  their  daily  life. 

15 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

You  must  not  understand  that  all  of  Algiers  is  in  this 
degraded  condition.  The  city  aside  from  the  part  known 
as  the  Arab  quarter,  where  white  and  black  huddle  together 
in  miserable  hovels,  is  very  beautiful.  The  French  govern- 
ment has  done  much  for  Algeria,  and  the  French  Methodist 
Church,  a  small  organization,  is  maintaining  a  mission  in 
Algeria.  The  other  mission  posts  visited  by  us,  important 
as  they  were,  could  not  be  compared  with  the  mission  at 
Algiers.  Here  the  work  to  be  done  was  so  great  and  the 
workers  so  few  that  our  hearts  went  out  to  them.  We 
spent  an  hour  driving  through  the  better  parts  of  the  city 
and  a  little  time  in  shopping,  and  returned  to  our  steamship 
home  late  in  the  evening  tired  and  hungry;  and  while 
satisfying  our  hunger  in  the  brilliantly  lighted  saloon,  with 
every  one  relating  the  experiences  of  the  day,  and  with  the 
orchestra  playing  its  finest,  we  steamed  out  of  the  harbor 
of  Algiers  and  bade  adieu  to  the  African  continent. 

That  night  as  we  steamed  away  from  Algiers  we  held 
another  missionary  convention  in  the  dining  saloon  of  the 
Romanic.  Our  president,  Mr.  Warren,  told  us  of  a  friend 
of  very  limited  means  who  had  given  him  a  small  *sum  of 
money  to  contribute  to  the  various  benevolent  causes  which 
might  be  presented  during  our  cruise.  Mr.  Warren  stated 
that  when  he  himself  had  tried  to  decide  what  he  ought  to 
give,  the  amount  this  friend  gave  from  his  scant  allowance 
bothered  him  greatly.  This  proved  contagious;  that 
friend's  benevolence  bothered  many  of  us,  and  we  had  to 
raise  the  amount  of  our  own  contributions  to  get  rid  of  him. 

When  our  offerings  were  totaled  we  found  that  $5,100.00 
were  raised  for  the  missions  in  Algeria.  We  supposed  we 
were  on  a  Sunday-school  excursion,  but  found  we  were  on  a 
great  missionary  tour  and  were  associated  with  men  and 
women  v/ho  had  been  trained  in  the  art  of  giving.  After 
relating  our  experiences  and  offering  prayers  in  behalf  of 
this  great  mission  work,  we  joined  hands  around  the  dining 
saloon  and  sang,  with  light  hearts, 

16 


The  Cruise  of  the  Romanic 

"  Blest  be  the  tie  that  binds 

Our  hearts  in  Christian  love; 
The  fellowship  of  kindred  minds 
Is  like  to  that  above." 

A  meeting  of  the  women  to  organize  the  Romanic 
Woman's  Algerian  Mission  band  was  called.  Airs.  E.  K. 
Warren  was  elected  president  and  Miss  Miller,  of  Balti- 
more, secretary  and  treasurer,  and  they  raised  about  $800.00 
in  order  to  put  two  extra  women  missionaries  in  the  field. 

But  there  were  still  greater  things  in  store  for  Algeria. 
Bishop  Hartzell  called  a  meeting  of  the  Methodists  on 
board  the  Romanic  to  consider  the  question  of  establishing 
a  Methodist  mission  in  Algeria.  About  fifty  responded. 
They  organized  by  electing  C.  C.  Stoll,  of  Louisville,  Ky., 
chairman,  and  W^.  G.  French,  of  San  Francisco,  Cal., 
secretary.  They  adopted  a  resolution  recommending  that 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  take  up  the  work  in  Algeria, 
and  in  support  of  that  resolution  a  special  subscription  was 
taken.  Through  the  efforts  of  Bishop  Hartzell,  ably  as- 
sisted by  Mrs.  Hartzell,  nearly  $50,000.00  was  secured. 
This  fund  was  not  raised  entirely  among  the  Methodists, 
but  many  pilgrims  from  other  churches  contributed  to 
the  fund. 

Upon  another  afternoon  a  Sunday-school  convention 
was  held.  There  were  many  short  addresses  and  exper- 
iences upon  the  subject,  "Organized  Sunday  School  Work 
and  What  it  has  Done  for  me."  Mr.  Marion  Lawrance 
then  presented  the  needs  of  the  work,  and  a  number  of 
life  memberships  in  the  International  Association,  at  one 
thousand  dollars  each,  were  subscribed  for,  and  before  the 
meeting  closed  $11,000.00  was  raised  for  the  International 
Sunday  School  Work. 

After  two  nights  and  one  day  in  the  blue  Mediterranean, 

early  on  Friday  morning.  May  10,  we  sighted  sunny  Italy 

and,  fmally,  Naples  in  the  distance  on  the  cliff,  a  large  and 

beautiful  city.     Soon  after  we  entered  the  fine  harbor  in 

2  17 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

front  of  the  city  and  dropped  anchor.  Immediately  our 
ship  was  surrounded  with  peddHng  boats,  boats  with  divers, 
musicians,  dancing  girls,  and  numerous  other  small  craft. 
An  hour  or  so  later  we  were  transferred  to  the  shore,  where 
carriages  were  waiting  to  give  us  a  three  hours'  ride  through 
this  beautiful  city. 

Naples  is  a  large  city  filled  with  street  venders  and 
beggars.  Wherever  our  carriages  would  stop  we  were  at 
once  beset  with  them.  We  visited  the  National  Museum, 
the  Aquarium  and  the  ruins  of  Pompeii  on  the  first  day  of 
our  stay  at  Naples.  On  the  second  day  we  made  a  trip 
to  Baiae,  the  old  watering-place  of  the  wealthy  Romans. 
We  had  a  long,  dusty  ride,  past  the  tomb  of  Virgil,  through 
the  long  tunnel,  visiting  the  crater  of  an  old  but  not  entirely 
extinct  volcano  and  the  ruins  of  several  temples.  One  of 
the  most  interesting  places  visited  was  the  little  city  of 
Pozzuoli,  which  was  formerly  known  as  Puteoli.  This 
was  where  St.  Paul  first  landed  in  Italy,  as  recited  in  the 
13th  verse  of  the  28th  chapter  of  the  Acts.  We  stopped 
at  a  strictly  Italian  inn  for  our  first  strictly  Italian  meal, 
consisting  of  rolls,  macaroni,  little  fish,  potatoes,  salad, 
fruit,  cheese,  and  Poland  water.  Who  will  ever  forget  the 
Poland  water? 

At  seven  o'clock,  Saturday  evening,  May  11,  we  steamed 
out  of  the  harbor  of  Naples,  and  for  a  long  time  from  the 
deck  of  our  steamer  we  watched  Mount  Vesuvius  and  the 
lights  of  the  city,  until  darkness  finally  shut  them  out. 
The  next  day  was  Sunday,  and  as  usual  we  had  our  Sunday 
services.  Dr.  Stahr  of  Lancaster,  Pa.,  pre:iched;  on  Sunday 
May  5,  Dr.  Rhodes  of  St.  Louis  preached  to  us.  About 
six  in  the  evening  we  reached  Genoa.  There  was  a  throng 
of  people  at  the  dock  tarrying  to  see  the  arrival  of  the 
steamship.  A  large  steamship  of  the  German  Lloyd  Hne 
was  just  leaving  the  harbor,  and  so  there  was  much  to 
occupy  our  attention. 

We  did  not  want  to  land  until  morning,  but  the  steamship 


The  Cruise  of  the  Romanic 

company  was  more  anxious  to  part  with  our  company 
than  we  were  to  part  with  the  good  old  ship  which  had 
brought  us  so  far.  We  were  required  to  go  ashore.  So 
after  sixteen  days  of  travel  by  water,  visiting  many  inter- 
esting cities  and  seeing  many  strange  sights,  after  forming 
many  friendships  which  we  trust  may  be  as  lasting  as  time 
itself,  we  took  our  final  departure  from  the  Romanic 
and  were  soon  located  in  the  various  hotels  of  the  old  but 
beautiful  city  of  Genoa. 

Aside  from  being  the  birthplace  of  Christopher  Columbus, 
Genoa  is  most  noted  for  its  campo  santo,  or  cemetery,  as 
we  would  call  it.  Nowhere  did  we  see  so  fine  or  so  many 
modern  sculptures  in  marble. 

Tuesday,  May  14,  we  started  by  special  train  for  Rome, 
stopping  long  enough  at  Pisa  to  visit  the  leaning  tower,  of 
which  we  all  rem.ember  seeing  pictures  in  our  early  geog- 
raphies. We  climbed  to  the  very  top,  rang  all  its  bells, 
and  wondered  how  the  old  tower  had  stood  so  long  without 
tumbling  over. 

We  reached  the  Eternal  City  about  10:30  that  night,  and 
as  we  were  driven  to  the  Hotel  Quirinal  we  were  astonished 
to  find  a  modern,  up-to-date  city,  brilliantly  lighted,  electric 
cars  passing  to  and  fro,  and  in  every  way  resembling  a 
modern  American  town. 

The  clerk  at  the  hotel  spoke  English  quite  as  well  as 
we  did  and  at  once  assigned  us  to  commodious  rooms  on 
one  of  the  upper  floors.  Our  rooms  in  the  hotel  chanced 
to  be  facing  a  large  theater.  The  performance  was  still 
going  on.  We  could  hear  the  orchestra  and  the  occasional 
applause  of  the  audience,  and  soon  the  crowds  came  out  to 
their  carriages,  motor  cars,  and  other  vehicles;  and  we 
could  not  help  wondering  whether  this  was  Rome,  the  city 
of  ancient  ruins  of  which  we  had  been  studying  and  reading 
all  our  lives,  and  whether  it  was  taking  on  again  the  prestige 
and  glory  of  ancient  times-,  and  whether  another  fall  awaited 
it.     But  sleep  soon  banished  all  such  thoughts. 

19 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

We  awoke  to  find  that  we  were  indeed  in  the  Eternal 
City,  and  that  we  were  a  part  of  the  largest  Protestant 
gathering  which  ever  assembled  in  Italy. 

The  Cruise  of  the  Neckar 

By  Philip  E.  Howard. 

They  were  pilgrims  on  their  way  to  Rome,  swinging 
slowly  into  the  great  highway  leading  to  the  open  sea.  They 
were  Sunday-school  men  and  women  and  children  from  the 
four  quarters  of  the  globe,  outward  bound  to  the  World's 
Fifth  Sunday  School  Convention.  But  on  that  bright 
morning  on  the  Hudson,  when  the  gang-planks  had  been 
housed  behind  the  white  gates  of  the  Lloyd  dock,  and  the 
faces  of  cheering  friends  were  growing  dimmer  as  that 
widening  distance  from  dock  to  ship  grew  wider,  not  all 
roads  led  to  Rome  just  then,  but  every  httle  road  and  by- 
path led  straight  back  to  the  receding  pier-head,  where 
loved  ones  stood  with  flags  and  flowers  and  handkerchiefs 
fluttering  in  the  fresh  breeze. 

The  Neckar  bowed  her  way  into  the  stream,  and  turning 
slowly,  bore  away  down  the  harbor,  while  we  of  the  ship's 
company  watched  that  distant  pier-head,  where  others  were 
turning  shoreward  as  we  turned  seaward,  they  to  take  up  our 
work,  and  we  to  gather  the  fruits  of  their  self-sacrifice. 

We  had  hardly  cleared  the  Hook  before  we  began  to 
realize  that  the  one  hundred  and  fifty-four  cabin  passengers 
on  the  Neckar  were  not  unlike  one  big  family.  As  the  ship 
straightened  out  on  her  course,  and  the  land  became  a  gray 
mist  on  the  horizon,  the  ship's  company  in  the  cabins  began 
to  find  itself;  and  because  there  was  a  common  bond  and 
a  common  purpose,  the  finding  was  done  without  the  selfish- 
ness which  spoils  goodfellowship  and  dulls  the  edge  of 
enjoyment   in   travel. 

We  gathered  for  morning  prayers  in  the  lower  dining- 
saloon  on  Sunday,  with  glad  and  thankful  hearts.     Each  one 

20 


The  Cruise  of  the  Neckar 

of  us  had  received  from  the  World's  Sunday  School  Execu- 
tive Committee  a  beautiful  copy  of  the  Jerusalem  Manual 
of  Worship,  Rome  Edition.  Our  leader  was  Dr.  George  W. 
Bailey,  of  Philadelphia,  Chairman  of  that  Committee,  and 
the  meeting  was  a  /^ra^'er-meeting.  It  is  one  thing  to  talk; 
and  it  is  another  thing  to  lead.  Dr.  Bailey  led  us  in  a  meet- 
ing that  amounted  to  nothing  less  than  a  spiritual  experience. 
God's  will  our  will  was  the  thought  of  it  all.  The  room  was 
crowded.  There  was  scarcely  time  in  the  brief  twenty 
minutes  of  service  for  all  w^ho  desired  to  speak  a  word  or 
offer  prayer. 

In  the  large  dining-saloon  we  held  our  morning  church 
service.  Swivel  chairs  were  pews,  the  swaying,  lifting  deck 
was  the  floor  of  our  house  of  worship,  and  the  oblong,  brass- 
bound  ports  in  the  low-studded  room  were  the  cathedral 
windows  in  two  colors — the  blue  of  the  sky  and  the  deeper 
blue  of  the  sea.  The  Reverend  E.  E.  Braithwaite,  of 
Massachusetts,  preached  from  Galatians  3:23-26,  the  Rev. 
W.  T.  Shattuck  of  the  same  state  offering  the  opening 
prayer. 

The  Neckar  Sunday  School  met  at  half  past  two  on  that 
memorable  Sunday,  organized  by  departments  and  classes, 
with  the  writer  as  superintendent.  It  was  a  long  w^alk  to 
school  for  teachers  and  scholars  alike.  Allan  Sutherland 
of  Pennsylvania,  and  Will  R.  Stuck  of  x^rkansas,  were 
associate  superintendents.  The  secretaries  were  Harry 
L.  Parkinson,  of  Pennsylvania;  J.  K.  Campbell,  of  Michigan, 
H.  W.  Meyers,  of  Louisiana,  and  Miss  Bessie  E.  Chapelle,  of 
Pennsylvania;  the  treasurers,  Copley  O.  Meacom,  of  Massa- 
chusetts, and  W.  C.  B.  Moore,  of  West  Virginia,  two  of  those 
who  were  successful  in  securing  a  ticket  for  the  round-trip 
under  The  Sunday  School  Times  plan;  librarian,  John  B. 
Meyers,  of  Louisiana;  Primary  Department,  Miss  Mabel 
Norris  and  Miss  Florence  B.  Kohler  (another  Times 
worker),  of  Pennsylvania,  and  Miss  Bertha  L-.  Howard, 
of  Michigan;  Home  Department  superintendent,   Mrs.  E. 

21 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

B.  Waterhouse,  of  Honolulu,  assisted  by  Miss  Louisa 
Myers,  of  Louisiana,  and  Mrs.  Oliver  L.  Watson,  of 
Illinois;  chorister,  W.  G.  Landes,  and  pianist,  Mrs.  W.  G. 
Landes,  of  Pennsylvania.  What  other  Sunday-school  held 
on  April  28,  unless  it  be  the  Romanic  School,  could  say 
that  its  scholars  had  come  so  far  to  attend  its  session ! 

It  was  a  cosmopolitan  company  about  the  tables.  We 
studied  the  International  Lesson  for  the  day,  and,  preceding 
this  study,  Mrs.  Layyah  Barakat,  a  native  Syrian,  known 
throughout  America  by  her  lectures  on  the  Orientalisms  of 
the  Bible,  gave  us  a  glimpse  of  the  Oriental  setting  of  the 
lesson.  The  Home  Department  superintendent,  from 
Hawaii,  and  her  Visitors  called  upon  those  who  were  confined 
to  their  staterooms,  while  the  lesson  study  was  in  progress. 
And  when  school  was  about  to  close,  the  benediction  was 
pronounced  by  the  Rev.  J.  G.  Dunlop,  of  Japan. 

Nothing  was  more  beautiful  in  the  first  session  of  the 
Neckar  Sunday-school  than  the  birthday  recognition,  when 
Miss  Grace  Bailey  and  Miss  Annie  Schlatter,  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, came  to  the  "platform"  and  received  a  Chautauqua 
salute,  while  we  sang  "Blest  be  the  tie  that  binds  our  hearts 
in  Christian  love."  Nor  was  the  session  lacking  in  recog- 
nition of  up-to-date  Sunday-school  standards;  for  one  scholar 
who  heard  his  teacher  say  that  he  didn't  feel  prepared  to 
teach  the  lesson,  promptly  said,  "Then  I  guess  I'll  go  to 
another  class," — which  he  did! 

On  that  evening  we  held  a  praise  service  in  the  main 
dining  saloon,  singing  hymns  in  German  and  in  English. 
The  Rev.  Dr.  C.  Golder,  of  Ohio,  the  Rev.  J.  A.  Solandt, 
of  Massachussetts,  and  Mr.  E.  T.  Moore  of  Ohio  made 
addresses,  and  Mr.  H.  H.  Mercer,  of  Pennsylvania  sang  a 
solo.  Our  mid-ocean  morning  prayer-meetings  were  led 
by  Prof.  De  Forrest  Ross  of  Michigan,  by  Mr.  Mercer, 
and  by  the  Rev.  R.  W.  Thompson  of  Pennsylvania,  and 
we  were  introduced  to  the  Azores  by  evening  travel-talks 
from  the  Rev.  W.  T.  McClure  of  Mississippi,  the  Rev. 

22 


The  Cruise  of  the  Neckar 

D.  W.   Chipman  of  Nova  Scotia,    and  the  Rev.    R.    C. 
Cleckler  of  Georgia. 

Our  week-day  evenings  in  the  dining-saloon  have  developed 
talent  amazingly.  Mrs.  Barakat  gave  us  an  address  that  one 
delegate  aptly  called  ''an  Oriental  poem"  on  the  "Palm  Tree 
of  the  Desert;"  Mr.  George  T.  B.  Davis,  the  devoted  young 
apostle  of  personal  work  in  the  Torrey-Alexander  missions 
in  England  and  America,  spoke  to  us  on  our  own  duty 
toward  this  work  of  hand-to-hand  soul  winning;  Mr.  Allan 
Sutherland,  of  the  Presbyterian  Board  of  Publication,  read  an 
intensely  interesting  paper  on  some  of  the  great  hymns  of 
the  centuries,  more  fully  treated  in  his  recent  book,  "Famous 
Hymns  of  the  World."  And  for  the  sake  of  the  many  young 
people  on  board  (of  course  the  older  ones  didn't  care  espe- 
cially about  it  I)  there  was  an  entertainment  of  such  remark- 
ably good  home  talent  that  we  w^ere  applauding  and  laughing 
until  nearly  ten  o'clock — which  was  late  for  a  Neckar 
meeting,  under  the  law  set  forth  by  the  Cabinet  to  whom  was 
given  the  conducting  of  our  meetings.  And  who  can  ever 
forget  our  unique  "  newspaper  "  not  printed,  but  read  aloud! 

Here,  as  elsewhere,  it  is  the  inconspicuous,  the  unseen, 
that  counts.  There  is  a  small  room  half-way  down  one  of 
the  long  passageways,  and  in  that  room  toward  sunset  day 
by  day  you  might  find,  if  you  should  enter,  a  little  group  of 
men  upon  their  knees.  And  when  the  prayer  is  ended,  the 
men  very  naturally  get  to  talking  over  the  central  work  of 
the  Kingdom — individual  work.  More  than  one  man  in 
steerage  and  crew  and  cabin  has  already  felt  the  touch 
of  a  hand  outstretched  to  help  him,  because  of  that  small 
group  of  men  down  on  their  knees. 

***** 

It  was  a  cloud  at  first,  lying  low  upon  the  eastern  horizon, 
then  the  faintest  hint  of  a  sharper  outline  than  the  edge  of 
a  mist,  and  as  the  sun  climbed  higher,  its  rays  fell  full  and 
clear  upon  the  seaward  crags  and  rolling  hills  and  towering 
peaks  of  St.  Michael's  in  the  Azores.     We  had  crept  along 

23 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

under  the  shadow  of  Pico  Island  during  the  night,  hfting  its 
head  more  than  seven  thousand  feet  above  the  sea,  and 
falUng  sheer  to  the  sea-bottom  two  thousand  feet  below, 
a  huge  volcanic  cone  uplifted  by  titanic  forces  of  earth's 
deeps.  Lights  from  the  shore  had  sent  their  slender  gleam 
over  the  dark  waters  to  us  as  we  passed,  and  the  spire  of  Pico 
was  a  shadow  against  the  stars  to  the  north.  But  now  St. 
Michael's  was  coming  to  us  out  of  the  sea,  with  no  shadow 
of  darkness  about  it,  and  Ferraria  Point  gave  us  welcome. 

Above  the  ragged  fringes  of  the  island  were  soft  and 
pleasant  fields  on  rolling  foothill  land,  not  unlike  some 
glimpses  of  the  Irish  coast-country,  completely  covered  with 
thrifty  farms,  set  apart  by  deep  hedge-rows,  and  bearing 
aloft  in  the  morning  wind  huge  windmills,  busy  with  their 
tasks  in  the  early  hours  of  the  day. 

We  rounded  the  bold  breakwater  of  Ponta  Delgada,  and 
the  hoarse  bellow  of  our  signal  startled  the  waterfront  to  life. 
It  was  a  breezy  morning.  Volcanic  rock  skirting  the  shore 
spouted  little  jets  of  foam  as  the  harbor  swell  came  inshore. 
The  white  and  blue  and  pink  of  the  square-built,  red-tiled 
houses  rose  above  the  black  of  the  rocks  in  brilliant  color. 
From  the  inner  bend  of  the  harbor  fussy  little  launches 
hurried  toward  the  ship,  and  shore  boats  of  broad  beam 
came  down  the  wind,  the  Portuguese  longshoremen  resting 
idly  on  their  sweeps,  while  the  blades  hung  just  above  the 
water,  catching  the  fresh  breeze  as  impromptu  sails. 

It  was  a  good  fifteen  minutes'  pull  to  the  quay.  Our 
three  oarsmen  were  stroked  by  a  sturdy,  brown-skinned 
fellow,  who  might  have  been  one  of  Clark  Russell's  fo'  c'sle 
hands.  I  could  not  resist  the  temptation,  so  I  laid  hold  of 
the  sweep  with  him,  and  ''hipped"  for  the  crew,  until  we 
sent  the  stroke  to  a  lively  clip,  to  the  great  glee  of  the  laughing 
Portuguese  and  the  mock  consternation  of  the  passengers. 
And  the  opportunity  for  exercise  was  so  genuinely  golden 
that  Dr.  Bailey,  too,  was  soon  involved  with  this  motley 
crew,  and  bent  to  the  oar  his  energetic  muscles.     But  that 

24 


The  Cruise  of  the  Neckar 

is  a  way  he  has  when  any  one  can  be  helped  by  his  hand  on 
the  oar  in  any  kind  of  task. 

We  rounded  a  sharp  sea-wall  of  masonry,  and  glided  into 
the  landing-place.  A  crowd  sat  or  stood  along  the  sur- 
rounding steps  and  walls,  and  many  windows  in  the  white- 
washed and  pinkwashed  and  blue-frescoed  houses  held  little 
groups  ot  onlookers  as  the  Americans  climbed  the  landing 
steps  to  be  met  by  their  guides. 

They  say  that  the  Public  Gardens  are  the  great  sight  of 
St.  Michael's.  It  may  be  so.  In  those  gardens  there  is  a 
vast  variety  of  plants  and  trees,  and  flowers  in  profusion. 
But  we  saw  another  garden  where  other  flowers  are  cherished 
into  bloom,  a  garden  in  which  we  of  the  pilgrimage  saw  much 
to  be  remembered.  It  was  the  little  white  church  of  the 
Evangelical  Mission,  with  its  company  of  devoted  members, 
old  and  young,  as  they  mingled  with  the  pilgrims  in  a  meeting 
of  welcome  and  worship.  If  you  were  one  of  a  hundred 
evangelical  Christians  in  a  city  of  thirty  thousand  persons 
of  other  faith,  would  you  not  welcome  with  gladness  a  hun- 
dred or  more  evangelical  Christian  workers  from  other  lands  ? 

The  mission  church  and  its  day-school  is  the  outgrowth 
of  a  work  begun  in  1882.  Antonio  Patrocino  Dias  and 
Henry  Maxwell  Wright  were  the  pioneers  in  the  work,  with 
Miss  Louisa  Wright  and  her  two  sisters,  Mary  and  Ellen, 
the  three  sisters  still  carrying  on  the  mission.  Within  the 
church  building  our  party  from  the  Neckar  were  greeted 
with  addresses  of  welcome,  and  some  of  our  company.  Dr. 
Bailey,  of  Philadelphia,  the  Rev.  J.  B.  Ganong,  of  New 
Brunswick,  the  Rev.  J.  A.  Solandt,  of  Massachusetts,  and  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Landes,  of  Pennsylvania,  took  part  in  the  service. 
The  front  of  the  room  and  the  platform  were  crowded  with 
children  and  young  people,  and  one  small  American  girl  in 
our  party  enjoyed  the  meeting  exceedingly,  because  she  had 
an  uninterrupted  half-hour's  quiet  play  on  the  floor  with  two 
barefoot  Portuguese  boys,  whose  unshod  feet  in  church 
excited  her  liveliest  interest. 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

When  the  three  noble  women  whose  hves  have  been  put 
into  the  mission  stood  before  us  and  we  sang  ''Blest  be  the 
tie  that  binds,"  and  when  Miss  Louisa  Wright,  with  shining 
eyes  and  the  face  of  a  saint,  gave  us  a  message  as  Christian 
workers,  I  am  sure  that  on  this  mid-ocean  outpost  of  Chris- 
tian progress  we  saw  the  real  gardeners  of  St.  Michael's. 

The  next  morning  at  breakfast  the  doctor  left  the  table 
hurriedly.  By  and  by  word  came  to  a  few  that  one  of  the 
Italian  passengers  in  the  steerage  had  reached  the  end  of 
his  voyage.  They  say  his  family  awaits  him — his,  wife  and 
his  little  children — in  Italy.  He  is  to  be  laid  to  rest  at 
Gibraltar,  and  when  the  steamer  reaches  Naples,  who  knows 
how  unspeakably  deep  will  be  the  grief  of  those  who  look 
for  his  coming?  I  hope  that  in  some  other  landing-place, 
beneath  a  sky  more  peaceful  than  even  the  Italian  sky,  that 
little  family  may  be  reunited. 


On  Sunday,  May  5,  the  spirit  of  speakers  and  hearers  was 
never  more  sensitive  to  the  messages  of  the  day.  To  hear 
the  Rev.  Gust.  F.  Johnson,  of  Rockford,  Illinois,  tell  with 
fine  simplicity  the  story  of  his  life,  was  to  hear  a  chapter  out 
of  the  book  of  God's  redeeming  power  over  the  lives  of  men. 
To  hear  the  Rev.  J.  G.  Dunlop,  of  Japan,  the  Foreign 
Secretary  of  the  new  Sunday  School  Association  of  Japan, 
tell  the  story  of  Japan's  progress  toward  Christianity,  was 
to  hear  a  remarkable  chapter  out  of  the  book  of  missionary 
miracles.  And  it  was  a  privilege  to  attend  the  second 
session  of  the  Neckar  Sunday-school,  under  the  superin- 
tendency  of  Mr.  H.  G.  Shaw,  of  Newark,  New  Jersey. 
The  birthday  of  little  Olive  May  Smith,  of  Pennsylvania, 
was  recognized  with  the  Chautauqua  salute.  Our  services  for 
the  day  closed  with  evening  worship,  with  addresses  in  Ger- 
man and  in  English  respectively,  by  F.  W.  Rueckheim,  of  Chi- 
cago, and  by  the  Rev.  J.  E.  Byrd,  of  Mt.  OHve,  Mississippi. 

While  the  convention  was  thus  really  in  progress,  the  two 
26 


The  Cruise  of  the  Neckar 

ships  were  nearing  Gibraltar.  They  did  not  speak  each 
other,  though  the  Neckar  was  close  upon  the  wake  of  the 
Romanic.  We  were  prepared  for  our  little  visit  to  Gibraltar 
by  travel-talks  on  Monday  evening  from  Mr.  Dunlop,  the 
Rev.  J.  A.  Solandt  of  Massachusetts,  and  the  Rev.  R.  W. 
Thompson  of  Pennsylvania,  Mr.  Charles  Mayer  of  Cin- 
cinnati, presiding;  and  by  our  prayer-meeting  the  next 
morning,  led  by  Mrs.  J.  W.  Lake. 

Tuesday  morning  we  caught  our  first  glimpse  of  the  coast 
of  Spain,  and  of  the  steep,  tremendous  bluffs  and  mountains 
of  the  African  coast.  First  a  sandy  shore  to  the  north,  low 
dunes  and  beach  hummocks,  then  Cadiz,  nestling  white 
among  the  hills,  then  Trafalgar  (can  you  hear  the  boom  of 
Nelson's  guns  over  the  waters  yonder?),  then  Point  Tarifa, 
whence  the  Moors  once  watched  like  eagles  to  levy  tribute 
upon  passing  ships,  and  hence  our  word  ''tariff;"  but  no 
Gibraltar,  even  though  we  had  entered  the  Straits,  and 
Africa  loomed  dark  to  the  south. 

Above  the  heights  of  Tarifa  another  higher,  jutting  crag 
crept  along  the  sky-line,  and  we  began  to  see  Gibraltar— only 
began;  for  it  does  not  leap  into  view,  as  the  lion  couchant 
of  the  familiar  pictures.  You  come  upon  it  gradually,  a  huge, 
looming,  towering  mountain,  like  an  island  near  shore, 
sloping  toward  land  and  toward  sea,  lying  athwart  your 
vision  as  you  swing  slowly  in  toward  the  bay  which  lies  to 
the  west  of  the  rock.  And  you  do  not  see  the  lion  until  you 
have  gone  ashore  and  over  to  the  north  of  the  rock. 

Enormous  is  a  word  not  to  be  slipped  in  without  consid- 
eration. Gibraltar  is  enormous,  overwhelming.  As  your 
ship  rounds  into  the  bay,  you  follow  with  amazement  the 
rough  outline  from  Europa  Point  to  the  signal  station  on  the 
top  of  the  rock,  and  down  again  over  the  plainly  visible 
obsolete  galleries  to  the  noi;th,  and  the  houses  of  the  town 
along  the  northerly  and  westerly  slopes.  It  is  not  from  the 
west  a  bare  and  forbidding  pile,  but  a  craggy  mountain,  with 
trees  and  shrubs  and  flowers  clinging  to  its  sides.     You 

27 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

do  not  see  what  is  behind  the  greenery.  It  is  forbidden  to 
remove  any  part  of  the  foKage,  for  Gibraltar  must  not  be 
thus  unmasked  by  ignorant  or  wilful  hands.  Who  knows 
how  many  guns  would  rain  fire  and  iron  out  through  the 
thick  branches  of  trees,  from  galleries  by  no  means  obso- 
lete, out  through  the  pleasant  flowery  terraces,  if  Gibraltar 
should  be  affronted? 

Once  on  shore,  you  are  on  British  territory.  The  white- 
robed  Moor  at  the  landing  stage,  the  excitable  Spanish  cab 
drivers,  are  in  the  picture,  but  the  background  is  British — 
solid,  trim,  complete  to  the  eye,  though  the  making  of 
Gibraltar  never  is  ended.  The  Captain  of  the  Port,  and  the 
English  and  Scotch  brethren  from  the  rock  are  all  courtesy 
and  heartiness.  They  had  risen  earlier  than  the  sun  to 
receive  the  Romanic,  and  now  in  mid-afternoon  their  kindly 
zeal  was  not  abated. 

Up  from  the  water-port  we  hurried  in  a  swaying  carriage 
behind  a  vigorous  pony,  into  the  narrow,  smooth,  and  spot- 
lessly clean  streets.  Here  are  sailors  and  soldiers  from  the 
four  corners  of  the  world;  here  the  turbaned,  barelegged,  and 
sandaled  Moor  moving  with  silent  dignity  through  the  crowd 
of  military  and  naval  men,  and  wide-eyed,  inquisitive  tourists. 
The  streets  twist  and  turn  sharp  corners,  climb  steep  preci- 
pices, wind  along  through  charming  gardens,  or  close  to  the 
stone  walls  of  fine  barracks  and  public  buildings,  many 
a  roadway  being  cut  in  the  face  of  the  rock,  and  buttressed 
and  walled  against  disaster.  Solidity  and  thoroughness 
meet  one  on  every  hand. 

We  paused  at  the  foot  of  the  Alameda,  the  parade  and 
public  playground.  Boys  are  playing  cricket.  Soldiers  in 
khaki  are  strolling  about.  We  climb  the  steps  at  the  head 
of  the  parade  and  stand  beside  the  monument  to  General 
EUiot,  the  great  defender  of  the  Rock.  He  was  a  daring 
fighter,  and  yet  so  tenderhearted  that  when  he  burned  the 
besiegers'  barriers  to  the  north  of  the  Rock,  he  tried  with 
his  own  hands  to  save  some  of  the  helpless  Spanish  soldiers 

28 


The  Cruise  of  the  Neckar 

from  the  fury  of  the  flames.  As  we  stand  before  his  monu- 
ment, Httle  children  are  clambering  over  the  guns  on  the 
terrace,  and  playing  their  harmless,  happy  games  along  the 
flowery  paths.  I  believe  the  General  would  like  that 
afternoon  scene,  and  that  the  fighting  blood  in  him  would 
be  stilled  as  he  smiles  upon  the  children  at  play  over  the 
guns  now  silent.    . 

We  drove  to  Lenia,  the  wTetched  Spanish  town  beyond 
the  neutral  ground.  Beggars  hung  expectantly  along  the 
dusty  road,  running  feebly  beside  the  carriages  in  hope  of 
alms.  Beyond  us  stretched  a  high  wire  net-work  fence, 
designed  to  keep  tobacco-lade ned  dogs  of  the  Spaniards  from 
crossing  into  Spanish  territory  with  smuggled  tobacco  from 
Gibraltar. 

Back  on  the  great  Rock  once  more,  we  had  a  glimpse  of 
the  mission  work  for  sailors  and  soldiers.  More  than  four 
thousand  soldiers  are  stationed  here.  Some  fifty  thousand 
men  pass  through  the  station  every  year  and  scatter  to  the 
four  corners  of  the  world.  It  is  a  tremendous  missionary 
opportunity  on  the  Rock,  now  the  headquarters  of  the 
Atlantic  Fleet,  and  of  the  Second  Cruiser  Squadron.  At 
one  time  or  another  nearly  every  ship  in  the  British  navy 
will  call  at  Gibraltar,  sending  a  steady  stream  of  blue- 
jackets and  marines  into  the  town  and  out  again.  They 
are  by  no  means  neglected.  There  is  the  King  Edward  VII 
Soldiers'  and  Sailors'  Institute,  begun  in  1877  as  the  Gib- 
raltar Soldiers'  Institute,  on  the  plan  of  those  at  Aldershot 
and  Woolwich,  with  Captain  and  Mrs.  C.  H.  Hill  now  as 
its  superintendents;  the  Salvation  Army  Naval  and  Military 
Home,  in  charge  of  Staff-Captain  George  H.  Souter;  the 
"Welcome"  Soldiers'  and  Seamen's  Home,  in  charge  of  the 
Rev.  A.  B.  Sackett;  Soldiers'  and  Sailors'  Mission  Home, 
with  Miss  Renfrew  as  superintendent,  and  W.  Marshall  as 
soldiers'  missionary;  Gibraltar  Seamen's  Mission,  whose 
president  is  the  Rt.  Rev.  the  Lord  Bishop  of  Gibrahar. 
These  institutions  do  everything  within  their  power  to  make 

29 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

the  sailors  and  soldiers  feel  at  home  within  their  hospitable 
doors,  very  much  as  our  Young  Men's  Christian  Associa- 
tions do. 

The  Neckarites  met  in  the  "Welcome"  in  the  evening. 
On  my  way  to  the  meeting-room,  I  talked  with  Robert 
Vining,  a  square-jawed,  stocky  young  sailor  from  the 
"Black  Prince,"  about  the  work.  His  face  lighted  up  when 
I  asked  him  if  he  was  a  follower  of  Christ.  He  said,  "Yes, 
sir,"  very  heartily,  and  then  he  added,  "I  think  I  would 
never  leave  the  ship  when  here  unless  I  could  have  a  place 
like  this  to  come  to."  And  his  feehng  for  the  "Welcome" 
and  other  similar  places  is  shared  by  thousands  of  cour- 
ageous young  fellows  who  dare  to  live  a  clean  life  on  ship 
and  shore. 

The  meeting  that  night  brought  together  for  the  first  time 
the  denominational  and  other  leaders  in  Gibraltar  in  a  united 
service.  The  Very  Rev.  D.  S.  Govett,  M.  A.,  Dean  of 
Gibraltar,  Church  of  England  chaplains,  Wesleyan  and 
Presbyterian  chaplains,  and  a  Salvation  Army  Captain,  sat 
upon  the  platform  and  extended  a  generous  greeting  to  the 
Americans.  There  were  brief  addresses  and  words  of 
brotherly  congratulation,  and  as  the  meeting  closed  we  stood 
in  silence  while  the  venerable  dean,  a  tall  and  distinguished 
figure,  gave  us  his  benediction.  No  one  in  that  meeting  can 
ever  forget  the  dignity  and  the  tenderness  of  that  blessing. 

We  passed  into  the  brightly-lighted  streets  and  made  our 
way  to  the  water-port.  Our  Gibraltar  brethren  had  made 
our  visit  memorable,  while  we  inquisitive  Americans  had 
pKed  them  with  questions,  and  had  shown  our  appreciation 
in  such  other  ways  as  we  could.  One  of  the  young  chaplains 
said  wonderingly  to  one  of  our  party,  "Are  you  Americans 
always  like  this, — so  optimistic,  so  energetic?  Or  is  it  the 
vacation  spirit  that  possesses  you?  You  never  seem 
depressed.  You  know  we  have  here  what  we  call  the 
levanter, — a  cloud  that  hangs  over  the  Rock  and  makes  us 
all  gloomy.     Do  ;yoz^  ever  have  such  an  experience  ?  "     Oh, 

30 


The  Cruise  of  the  Neckar 

thoughtless  guests  that  we  were!  The  American  is  an 
optimist,  but  he  has  his  levanter — sometimes.  He  doesn't 
mean  to  let  any  one  know  much  about  it,  and  its  cause  is  not 
always  apparent.  Some  of  us  felt  the  touch  of  its  shadow 
when  we  had  to  leave  these  noble  fellows  working  out  the 
Master's  will  for  hearts  that  are  often  as  hard  as  the  Rock 
itself.  The  chaplain  was  cheered  by  our  assurances  that  we 
were  not  always  quite  so  happily  effervescent,  as  he  presently 
saw,  when  the  shore  friends  and  the  x\mericans  gathered  by 
the  landing  and  sang  some  of  the  old,  sweet  parting  hymns 
together. 

Just  as  the  tender  started  from  the  pier,  my  sailor  friend, 
Robert  Vining,  and  I  clasped  hands  over  the  rail.  I  wonder 
where  we  shall  meet  again?  He  stood  with  those  on  the 
dock  who  sang  and  cheered  as  we  pulled  out  into  the  bay. 
Search-lights  cast  their  beams  toward  Algeciras,  sweeping 
the  bay,  and  picked  out  sharply  ship  after  ship  at  anchor. 
They  are  the  keen-eyed  silent  watch-dogs  of  the  night.  They 
look  down  from  tower  and  wall,  piercing  the  darkness  with 
their  revealing  gaze.  And  far  above  thejn  hangs  a  tiny  light 
over  the  Rock,  where  the  signal-station  stands  ready  to  speak 
round  the  earth. 

We  slipped  away  into  the  soft  Mediterranean  night  on  an 
even  keel,  and  the  lights  of  Gibraltar  fell  astern.  I  wonder 
if  those  youngsters  playing  on  the  Alameda  guns  have  gone 
to  sleep  in  their  small  beds,  and  what  Bob  Vining  is  thinking 
as  he  takes  to  his  quarters  on  the  ''Black  Prince"  in  the 
dry docks  ? 

***** 

After  Gibraltar,  Algiers.  After  the  night  pierced  witli 
searchlights  from  the  Rock,  the  broad  day  flooding  the 
ship,  not  with  seas,  but  with  sunshine,  and  the  waters  around 
us  a  deeper  blue  than  the  sky.  We  could  see  for  hours  the 
broken,  mountainous  coast  of  the  Dark  Continent.  Dol- 
phins sported  about  the  ship.  The  land  played  tricks  with 
us,  running  back  into  the  haze  to  the  south,  and  then  standing 

31 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

out  again  into  the  open,  like  a  ship  beating  her  way  to 
eastward. 

At  prayers  we  followed  a  responsive  service  prepared  by 
the  Rev.  Dr.  H.  C.  McCook  of  Pennsylvania,  not  among 
our  company,  yet  one  of  the  leaders  of  America's  pioneer 
Sunday-school  heroes. 

The  "  Neckarites  "  became  athletes  in  the  afternoon, 
under  the  leadership  of  a  committee  headed  by  Allen  W. 
Blake,  of  Massachusetts,  and  the  after-deck  presented  a 
scene  rivaling  the  Olympic  games.  The  names  of  the  con- 
testants, especially  in  the  tug-of-war,  are  mercifully  omitted. 

In  the  evening  we  heard  th»-ee  illuminating  talks  on 
Algiers, — on  its  history  by  E.  T.  Moore,  of  Ohio;  on  its 
religious  life  by  the  Rev.  Randall  Lookabill,  of  Baltimore; 
on  its  points  of  interest  by  the  Rev.  W.  T.  Shattuck  of 
Massachusetts. 

At  ten  o'clock  that  Wednesday  night  we  caught  the 
first  beams  of  the  great  revolving  light  on  Cape  Tenez, 
standing  two  hundred  and  ninety-two  feet  high,  one  of  the 
magnificent  French  electric  lights,  and  visible  thirty-four 
miles  away.  At  one  o'clock  the  gleam  of  that  light  on  the 
clouds  could  still  be  seen  from  the  bridge.  They  say  these 
French-made  Hghts  are  the  finest  in  the  world.  Isn't  it 
significant  that  Louis  Sautter,  head  of  one  of  the  great 
French  lighthouse  concerns,  has  stood  pre-eminent  as 
a  leader  in  Sunday-school  work  in  his  own  country? 

In  the  quiet  of  the  early  morning  the  Neckar  slipped  past 
Cape  Caxene,  and  by  the  time  we  were  astir  the  ship  was 
rounding  the  Mole;  then  Algiers  lay  white  and  gleaming 
before  us.  It  was  Paris  along  the  quays;  Jerusalem  to  the 
right;  Cadiz  to  the  left,  and  far  on  the  heights  of  Mustapha 
Superior  it  was  all  greenery  and  color,  villas  and  palaces,  and 
the  fine  rolling  country  of  the  Sahel  Hills. 

Once  on  land  we  drove  on  rock-smooth  roads  through 
Algiers  the  superb,  and  Algiers  the  odorous  and  unclean. 
Here,  seated  on  a  rock  jutting  out  from  above  the  roadway, 

32 


The  Cruise  of  the  Neckar 

is  an  Arab  in  faded  robes,  sewing  earnestly  on  a  garment  he 
holds  across  his  knee.  There,  by  the  roadside,  are  two  beg- 
gars, tall,  almost  powerful  in  build,  with  their  soiled  head- 
gear and  ragged  robes,  drinking,  and  laughing  as  they  drink, 
from  a  bubbling  fountain.  They  seemed  to  be  laughing 
toward  us,  if  not  at  us.  But  they  were  smiling  delightedly 
at  Mr.  Cuendet,  our  missionary  companion,  he  who  has 
translated  the  Bible  into  the  Kabyle  tongue.  "They  are 
some  of  my  beggars,"  said  Mr.  Cuendet  in  answer  to  my 
look  of  inquiry.  ''They  are  glad  to  see  me.  I  started  a 
work  for  them,  believing  that  if  our  Lord  were  here  he 
would  begin  with  them." 

"And  what  is  the  name  of  those  men  by  the  fountain?" 
I  asked. 

He  studied  them  closely  for  a  moment,  and  then  shook  his 
head  dubiously.  "  I'm  not  sure,"  he  answered.  "  They  are 
many,  you  know,  and  their  names  are  much  alike.  But," 
he  exclaimed  eagerly,  "I  have  all  their  names  in  a  book." 
I  would  like  to  have  seen  that  book.  The  names  hardly 
distinguish  the  poor  fellows  from  one  another,  yet  they  are 
written  in  at  least  one  book,  which  may  yet  be  a  record  of 
new  life  for  them,  homeless  w^anderers  that  they  are.  And 
so  primitive  is  their  knowledge,  so  simple  their  views,  that 
often  as  Mr.  Cuendet  passes  along  the  street,  he  is  addressed 
not  by  his  own  name,  but  by  the  name  of  his  Master.  The 
beggars  may  forget  the  missionary's  own  name.  They  do 
not  forget  his  Master's.  Is  it  not  something  to  remind  men 
of  that  name,  and  not  of  our  own,  when  they  merely  meet 
us  by  the  way? 

In  a  lovely  garden  on  the  upper  slopes  of  the  town  is  the 
Musee  National  des  Antiquites  Algeriennes.  One  figure 
in  the  collection  drew  us  thither, — the  recumbent  plaster 
cast  of  Geronimo,  that  young  Christian  who  in  the  sixteenth 
century  was  thrown  by  AH  Pacha  into  a  concrete  mold, 
and  in  that  dreadful  death  bore  witness  to  his  faith.  In 
that  block  of  concrete  used  in  the  walls  of  a  fort,  the  form 
33 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

of  the  martyr  was  cast  in  the  surrounding  stone,  and  in  1853 
the  block  was  opened,  and  a  plaster  cast  was  made  by  the 
sculptor  Latour.  The  light  strikes  down  to-day  through  the 
high  windows  upon  the  white  form  as  it  speaks  in  unmis- 
takable lines  of  the  agony  of  that  terrible  hour  centuries  ago, 
and  its  witnessing  for  the  faith  still  goes  on. 

To  the  foreigner,  the  center  of  interest  in  Algiers  is  the 
Arab  quarter,  that  closely-built,  densely-populated,  be- 
nighted part  of  the  city,  where  the  streets  are  hardly  more 
than  six  or  eight  feet  wide,  and  are,  in  more  than  one  place, 
nearly  overbuilt  with  jutting  windows.  Little  sunlight 
touches  the  pavements  of  stone,  save  at  high  noon;  less  light 
seems  to  shine  in  the  faces  one  sees  peering  out  from  dark 
shop-doorways,  or  turned  watchfully  up  and  down  the 
narrow  canyons  of  the  steep  and  crooked  streets  that  wander 
brokenly  up  the  hillside. 

In  the  heart  of  it  all  is  an  Arab  house,  where  Miss  I.  Lilias 
Trotter  and  ten  other  workers  carry  on  a  mission  work 
under  the  name  of  the  Algiers  Mission  Band.  On  the  first 
floor  is  a  meeting-room.  It  was  once  a  Muhammadan  mosk. 
It  is  a  little  room  about  fifteen  by  twenty  feet,  its  roof  arched 
and  vaulted,  supported  by  heavy  pillars,  and  lighted  by 
a  single  narrow  skylight  over  the  platform.  Small  lamps 
are  hung  on  the  pillars,  and  the  walls  are  whitewashed,  after 
the  Arab  fashion.  In  that  small  room  ninety  of  us  gathered, 
some  standing,  some  seated  on  the  stone  floor,  others  on 
benches  around  the  wall,  and  hstened  eagerly  to  the  mis- 
sionaries' stories  of  their  work,  and  not  less  eagerly  to  the 
personal  experiences  of  dark-?l^inned  converts  who  were 
willing  to  give  up  everything  for  the  Master.  To  one  of 
these,  Omokrane  Baiha,  Mrs.  Howard  handed  her  birthday- 
book  after  the  meeting,  with  a  request  for  his  signature. 
His  face  lighted  up  as  he  gladly  complied  with  her  request. 
There  was  a  look  about  him  and  a  bearing  that  marked  him 
as  different  from  other  young  Arabs  whom  we  had  seen 
lounging  in  doorways,  or  strolling  along  the  pavements. 

34 


The  Cruise  of  the  Neckar 

Had  he  seen  other  visions  than  had  come  to  them?  As  he 
wrote  his  name,  Mrs.  Howard  read,  just  opposite  to  it  in  the 
little  book,  words  which  seemed  to  have  been  written 
especially  to  tell  the  experience  of  the  young  convert  in  his 
new  allegiance: 

"  No  king  so  gentle  and  so  wise. 
He  calls  no  man  his  subject ;   but  his  eyes, 
In  midst  of  benediction,  questioning, 
Each  soul  compel." 

We  went  up  the  narrow  stone  stairs,  and  into  the  upper 
rooms  of  the  house,  opening  into  the  typical  court  of  the 
Oriental  dwelling.  The  missionaries  served  Arab  coffee 
and  sweets  there  and  in  another  room.  Around  the  clois- 
tered sides  of  the  court  w^ere  hung  missionary  maps  and 
specimens  of  native  handiwork,  while  a  giant  negro,  in 
turban  and  white  garments, — Belad,  black  as  night,  a  con- 
vert out  of  the  Soudan  country, — waited  upon  us  smilingly. 

Behind  a  curtained  doorway  we  learned  that  native  women 
were  at  work,  and  with  them  little  children  w^re  singing. 
It  is  sometimes  hard  to  be  a  man.  Only  women  were  sup- 
posed to  be  admitted  to  the  rooms  beyond  the  curtain.  But 
at  the  suggestion  of  one  of  the  missionaries,  the  conventional 
barriers  were  removed  for  the  time  being,  and  some  of  us 
were  led  into  the  little  temporary  w^ork-rooms  where  the 
women  were  weaving,  or  preparing  the  native  couscous, 
a  delicious  stew  of  meat  and  rice,  for  the  guests  of  the  day. 
In  the  center  of  the  group  along  the  wall  sat  a  woman  young 
in  years,  whose  large  eyes  and  gentle  face  revealed  a  sweet 
and  lovely  spirit  within.  And  she  had  been  horribly  beaten 
by  her  husband  when  she  was  mourning  by  the  side  of  her 
dead  child.  Islam  has  its  disadvantages  for  women  and 
children !  The  life  and  the  land  of  the  people  are  scarred  by 
its  blight  wherever  it  holds  sway. 

Beyond  the  room  in  which  the  women  worked  was  one  in 
which  children  worked — and  sang.  They  are  the  hope  of 
the  missionaries.     Among  the  children  the  chief  work  is 

35 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

done.  They  are  the  material  through  which  the  Hght  will 
yet  shine  for  North  Africa,  a  land  where  in  the  third  century 
there  were  no  less  than  five  hundred  and  eighty  bishoprics 
along  the  coast  from  Cyrene  to  the  Atlantic.  The  visit  of 
the  Rome  delegates  to  Algiers  resulted  in  the  raising  of  about 
fifty  thousand  dollars  for  missionary  work  in  North  Africa, — 
but  that  is  a  story  worth  telling  by  itself. 

The  Arab  quarter  at  night  is  tabooed  territory  for  the 
foreigner.  Yet  some  of  us  went  there  after  dark,  and 
climbed  the  steep  streets,  not  gruesomely  dark  as  one  might 
suppose,  but  lighted  with  Welsbach  lights!  We  were  eyed 
curiously  by  many  a  tall  and  silent  Arab,  shufHing  softly  by 
us  in  the  shadowy  defiles. 

The  tender  was  waiting  for  us  at  the  quay  when  we  re- 
turned to  the  water-front.  Our  little  party  went  on  board 
the  small  steamer,  but  Dr.  Bailey  and  I  lingered  on  the 
shore.  We  could  see  the  lights  of  the  Neckar  out  in  the 
harbor.  Behind  us  was  the  city,  brilliantly  lighted  along  the 
water  front,  and  reaching  dimly  away  into  the  shadows  of 
the  night  where  home-lights  twinkled  among  the  trees  of  the 
hillsides  above  the  town.  It  is  easy  to  fall  to  the  level  of  the 
hunter  for  human  curios  when  a  stranger  in  so  strange  a  land. 
It  is  easy  to  forget  the  soul  of  the  Arab,  the  Kabyle,  the 
lonely  men  from  the  desert  Beni  Moussa,  who  never  bring 
their  women  to  Algiers,  and  whose  labor  is  bent  ever  toward 
a  prosperous  home-going.  Dr.  Bailey  beckoned  to  me 
silently,  and  we  walked  a  few  paces  along  the  quay  among 
the  great  mounds  of  merchandise  awaiting  shipment. 
*'See!"  he  whispered,  pointing  to  a  heap  of  clothes  on  the 
ground  in  the  shadow  of  a  pile  of  goods.  I  looked,  and  the 
mass  became  a  man,  sleeping  soundly, — sleeping  after  his 
day's  work,  a  roustabout,  a  stevedore,  probably;  not  a  mere 
heap  of  curious  Arab  garments,  but  a  man.  Has  he  a  home  ? 
When  the  dawn  arouses  him,  what  hope  will  stir  within  him 
as  he  opens  his  eyes  to  a  new  day?  Who  would  care  if  he 
should  never  awake?  We  did  not  disturb  him,  but  he 
disturbed  us.     It  is  well  that  the  heart  of  the  Christian 

36 


The  Cruise  of  the  Neckar 

* 
thus  be  compelled  to  restlessness  under  a  keen  sense  of  the 
world's  need. 

The  last  whistle  of  the  tender  sounds,  and  we  are  soon 
rounding  the  towering  bow  of  the  Neckar,  with  the  com- 
fortable glow  of  her  cabins  shining  upon  us  as  we  reach  the 
embarking  stairs  slung  by  her  black  sides.  There  is  the 
laughter  of  friends  along  the  decks,  the  display  of  the  day's 
purchases,  and  then  the  slow  swing  of  the  ship  as  her  anchor 
comes  in,  and  her  engines  throb  once  more  with  Hfe.  We 
pick  our  way  out  by  the  buoys,  and  make  for  the  open  sea, 
while  the  lights  of  Algiers  sink  into  the  darkness  far  astern. 
For  the  missionaries  in  the  Arab  quarter  a  new  light  has 
been  lighted  to-day  in  the  visit  of  the  i\mericans.  Perhaps, 
too,  some  of  the  missionaries  may  know  that  sleeping  man 
by  the  quay,  and  his  name  may  be  in  their  book. 

Algiers  to  many  of  us  was  a  climax  of  the  voyage  to  Italy, 
especially  in  its  missionary  aspects.  On  Friday  Mr.  Geo. 
T.  B.  Davis  led  our  prayer-meeting,  and  Mrs.  E.  B.  Water- 
house  of  Honolulu,  Sandwich  Islands,  spoke  on  work  in  the 
Sandwich  Islands.  Mr.  Albina,  Clark's  tour  conductor, 
in  the  afternoon  spoke  on  travel  in  Italy.  In  the  evening 
the  Rev.  J.  B.  Ganong,  of  New  Brunswick,  Dr.  Bailey, 
and  the  writer  spoke  on  organized  Sunday-school  work. 
On  Saturday  morning  the  prayer-meeting  was  led  by  the 
Rev.  Dr.  J.  T.  McFarland,  of  New  York  City,  and  Dr. 
Andrew  C.  White,  of  New  York,  offered  prayer.  In  the 
evening  resolutions  of  appreciation  were  offered  to  Dr. 
Bailey  for  his  devoted  and  tactful  leadership;  to  the  oblig- 
ing Captain  Harrassowitz,  his  officers  and  crew;  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Landes  for  their  most  welcome  musical  help  on  the 
whole  voyage,  and  to  the  excellent  band  of  the  ship.  Nor 
could  we  forget  the  sweet  music  of  the  "Neckar  Quartet," 
Messrs.  Landes,  Solandt,  Meyers,  and  Mercer.  We  an- 
chored in  the  Bay  of  Naples  on  that  evening,  and  early  on 
the  following  morning,  May  12,  we  were  among  our  hospi- 
table Italian  brethren. 

37 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 
ft 
The  Convention  Itself 

By  Philip  E.  Howard 

Picture  to  yourself  a  fine  stone  office-building  of  majesti- 
cally simple  design,  occupying  a  corner  of  a  broad  and  busy 
thoroughfare,  with  crowds  of  men  and  women  of  many 
nations  thronging  its  corridors  and  splendid  church  audito- 
rium. Then  let  your  imagination  take  you  back  thirty-seven 
years  to  1870,  when,  along  that  same  street  on  the  twentieth 
of  September,  marched  the  battle-worn,  victorious  Italian 
troops,  the  Bersaglieri,  who  had  entered  Rome  through 
a  breach  in  the  Aurelian  wall,  on  their  way  to  the  Quirinal 
Palace,  where  liberty  and  unity  were  to  be  proclaimed  to  the 
land.  Past  the  corner  where  the  stone  building  now  stands, 
within  eye-shot  of  the  palace,  the  troops  marched  triumph- 
antly, and  with  them  came  a  man  drawing  a  cart  of  Bibles 
for  distribution — a  book  before  that  day  prohibited  within 
the  city  walls.  And  now  in  that  corner  of  the  Via  Venti 
Settembre  rises  the  imposing  Methodist  Building,  with  its 
large  audience-room  for  Italian  services,  an  American 
church,  Sunday-school  room,  Epworth  League  parlors, 
apartments,  offices,  and  a  fine  printing  establishment. 

It  was  in  this  building  that  the  great  convention  met,  with 
eleven  hundred  and  eighteen  delegates,  from  thirty-seven 
countries  and  great  divisions,  representing  forty-six  denom- 
inations— delegates  whose  mileage  would  average  nearly 
nine  thousand   miles. 

It  was  a  distinctively  Sunday-school  convention,  mission- 
ary in  spirit  and  personnel.  From  its  inception,  ''The 
Sunday-school  and  the  Great  Commission"  was  the  domi- 
nant theme  throughout. 

The  convention  was  kaleidoscopic.  Around  the  gallery 
of  the  VN^hite  auditorium  were  flags  of  many  nations;  in  the 
crowded  seats  were  Egyptian  preachers  with  their  red  fezes; 
white-bearded,  keen-eyed  American  business  men  from  the 
States,  some  of  them  round-headed  like  the  emperors  of 
Rome's  golden  era,  and,  like  the  emperors,  leaders  of  men; 

38 


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H  - 


The  Convention  Itself 

here  the  blue-eyed  Teuton  close  beside  the  olive-skinned, 
black-eyed  Italian,  or  the  alert,  clean-cut  Frenchman;  here 
a  sturdy  Briton,  and  close  beside  him  a  slender  Portuguese; 
there  a  missionary  from  Palestine  or  Turkey  or  Bulgaria  or 
the  Congo,  and  here  a  quick-witted,  bright-eyed  Canadian, 
or  an  earnest,  eagerly-listening  Greek.  Was  there  ever  such 
an  audience  ?  South  Africa  and  Saskatchewan,  Greece  and 
Georgia,  France  and  Finland,  Turkey  and  the  Transvaal, 
Palestine,  Mexico,  Norway,  Scotland,  Argentine  Republic, 
Hungary,  and  Ireland  and  Wales  and  Japan  and  Poland  and 
Mexico  and  the  Isle  of  Man — and  all  singing  the  same 
hymns,  worshiping  one  God  and  one  Saviour,  and  one  in 
their  determination  to  make  the  most  of  the  Sunday-school 
as  the  great  evangelizing  agency  of  our  day  and  all  days. 

On  Saturday  morning  a  reception  was  given  in  the  Hotel 
Quirinal  to  the  missionaries  and  Committee  members,  and 
in  the  evening,  a  banquet  was  given  by  the  President  and 
the  Executive  Committee  to  the  Italian  Local  Committee. 

The  evening  of  Saturday  w^as  devoted  to  greetings  on 
behalf  of  various  countries  and  bodies  represented.  Prayer 
was  offered  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  J.  C.  Massee,  of  North  CaroHna, 
U.  S.  A.  President  E.  K.  Warren,  of  America,  whose  wdt, 
heartiness,  and  tact,  and  freedom  from  formaHty  all  through 
the  meetings,  had  much  to  do  with  the  effect  of  the  sessions, 
introduced  the  Reverend  Henry  Piggott,  B.A.,  President  of 
the  Italian  National  Sunday-school  Committee,  as  chairman 
for  the  evening.  The  representation  on  the  platform  then 
was  typical  of  every  meeting,  for  greetings  were  brought  by 
Dr.  Hail,  of  Japan,  Campbell  Morgan,  of  Great  Britain, 
Mr.  D.  Ballantyne,  of  Scotland,  Principal  CoteHngham,  of 
India,  Pastor  Basche  of  Germany,  and  Edward  K.  Warren, 
of  North  America.  An  enthusiastic  reception  was  given  the 
young  American  Ambassador,  the  Hon.  Lloyd  C.  Griscom, 
who  heartily  welcomed  his  fellow-Americans  to  Rome,  and 
generously  invited  all  the  delegates  from  every  land  to  meet 
him  at  the  Embassy  on  Wednesday  afternoon. 

39 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

In  opening  the  first  session  Mr.  Warren  said: 

"Beloved  representatives  of  the  organized  Sunday-school 
work  of  the  world  in  Rome  assembled,  to  hold  the  World's 
Fifth  Sunday  School  Convention,  greetings  to  all!  It  is 
a  matter  of  great  gratitude  which  I  want  to  express  for  you 
as  well  as  for  myself  personally,  that  from  all  parts  of  the 
world,  some  of  us  even  from  the  uttermost  parts,  we  have 
journeyed  in  safety  and  in  health,  so  far  as  we  are  advised; 
and  under  such  favorable  conditions  we  are  permitted  to 
meet  in  this  the  Eternal  City, — Rome.  Great  is  the  thank- 
fulness which  we  all  feel  for  this  privilege.  It  gives  me 
great  pleasure  to  present  to  you  as  the  presiding  officer  of 
the  evening,  the  Reverend  Henry  Piggott,  President  of  the 
Itahan  National  Sunday  School  Committee." 

Mr.  Piggott  said  that  his  first  duty  was  a  very  pleasant 
one — to  send  on  behalf  of  the  Convention  a  telegram  to  the 
King  of  Italy,  which  read  as  follows:  ''The  World's  Fifth 
Convention  of  Sunday-schools  whose  every  energy  is  con- 
secrated to  the  moral  and  religious  education  of  the  young, 
on  initiating  its  labors,  sends  to  your  Majesty,  the  King, 
its  fervid  and  respectful  salutations  and  invokes  the  divine 
blessing  on  all  the  royal  family.  Signed,  E.  K.  Warren, 
President  World's  Fifth  Sunday  School  Convention."  To 
this'  the  King  responded  through  the  Minister  of  Public 
Instruction  in  the  message  on  the  opposite  page. 

Mr.  Piggott  earnestly  commended  the  noble  work  of  the 
Italian  General  Secretary,  Prof.  Ernesto  FiHppini,  and 
recognized  the  remarkable  character  of  the  great  convention 
in  purpose  and  opportunity.  "Sunday-school  work  is 
winning  the  w^orld  to  Christ"  he  said.  "That  is  your  pur- 
pose, and  you  are  here  to  study  methods.  The  methods  and 
strategies  of  yesterday  are  not  for  to-day.  You  have  your 
eyes  open  to  the  movem.ent  of  humanity,  to  the  education 
and  progress  of  the  race,  and  you  have  com.e  here  to  study 
how  best  to  attach  your  methods  and  strategies  to  all  this 
movement  and  progress  and  education  under  the  world's 

40 


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.  The  Convention  Itself 

Divine  Ruler.  We  greet  you  here  to-night  without  a  falter- 
ing note  in  our  word  of  welcome." 

Mr.  Piggott  was  followed  by  the  Reverend  Arturo  Muston, 
President  of  the  Waldensian  Church,  who  spoke  as  the 
representative  of  the  church  that  was  the  first  to  start  an 
extensive  and  regular  evangelical  work  after  liberty  was 
secured  for  Italy.  He  told  of  the  love  of  Bible  study  among 
his  people,  and  of  their  sixteenth  century  Bible  training  for 
groups  of  children.  ''The  Sunday-school"  he  declared, 
"is  the  glory  of  the  Evangelical  faith,  and  it  is  the  safeguard 
of  that  faith,  because  it  puts  a  solid  basis  to  the  education  of 
the  child,  so  that  on  that  basis  Christian  character  may  be 
built  up." 

In  responding  for  Great  Britain  the  Reverend  Dr.  G. 
Campbell  Morgan  said: 

''The  glamour  of  your  great  city  is  upon  us.  Some  of  us 
are  here  for  the  first  time.  We  have  felt  the  pull  of  ancient 
Rome  in  the  magnificent  monuments  of  departed  glory  and 
greatness,  and  some  of  us  feel  strongly  the  pull  of  eccle- 
siastical Rome  through  the  long  centuries,  and  some  of  us 
have  felt  the  thrill  of  free  Rome.  We  remember  the  men  in 
the  red  jackets.  I  fought  with  Garibaldi  when  I  was  eight 
years  old  in  my  father's  back  yard. 

"We  are  here  as  those  who  have  come  into  a  great  and 
glorious  freedom,  and  that  is  because  we  are  recognizing 
the  fact  that  the  empire  can  only  be  permanent,  and  that 
the  church  can  only  be  lasting,  that  puts  the  child  in  the 
midst.  And  I  thank  God  to-day  that  the  first  time  I  am  in 
Rome,  I  am  here  in  the  midst  of  a  Sunday-school  Convo- 
cation, coming  as  I  do,  from  that  ancient  city  of  Gloucester, 
from  which  Robert  Raikes  sprang. 

Dr.  Hail  said: 

"  Many  years  ago,  when  a  few  gun-boats  of  several  western 
nations  knocked  to  pieces  the  forts  guarding  the  Shimino- 
seki  Straits,  the  Japanese  General  commanding  said:  'I 
am  going  to  the  West  and  find  out  how  they  make  such  guns 

41 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

and  gun-boats.'  And  they  have  been  going  west  ever  since 
to  learn  how.  They  have  learned  how  in  regard  to  higher 
matters  than  mere  material  things.  In  Japan  to-day  they 
have  in  their  schools  more  than  ninety-three  per  cent  of 
their  school  population.  Before  1872,  there  were  no  regu- 
larly organized  Sunday-schools  in  Japan — only  small  classes 
of  young  men  taught  in  the  homes  of  the  missionaries.  In 
1882  the  Sunday-schools  aggregated  an  attendance  of  4,060; 
in  1891,  20,886;  in  1900,   33,039;  in  1905,  64,693. 

Mr.  D.  Ballantyne,  in  responding  for  Scotland  said: 

^'Scotland  owes  a  large  measure  of  its  moral  and  religious 
strength  to  the  existence  of  its  Sunday-schools,  and  at  no 
time  in  its  history  was  this  religious  agency  so  widespread 
as  it  is  now. 

"  The  Sunday-schools  number  556,000,  and  the  teachers 
52,000;  while  statistics  are  cold,  yet  these  figures  are  sig- 
nificant of  much  effort  and  much  self-sacrifice  in  this  great 
endeavor  of  character-building. 

"  The  Scottish  National  Sabbath  School  Union,  which 
I  have  the  honor  to  represent,  has  done  and  is  doing  mag- 
nificent work  for  the  development  of  the  Sabbath-school. 
Through  its  instrumentality,  normal  training  classes  have 
been  established  for  teachers,  which  have  been  greatly 
appreciated.  A  travelling  missionary  is  now  employed 
whose  work  is  to  visit  Sabbath  Schools  and  by  his  lectures 
intensify  interest. 

"  There  are  1,545  schools  in  the  Union;  262,493  scholars, 
26,000  teachers,  and  67  Sabbath  School  Unions.  The 
benefits  it  confers  are  not  limited  to  those  within  its  fold,  but 
are  given  with  the  greatest  cordiaHty  to  all  schools." 

From  India,  Principal  Cotelingham  brought  greetings, 
saying: 

''In  the  name  of  the  twenty  auxiliaries  of  the  Sunday- 
school  association  througliout  India,  and  in  the  name  of 
the  50,000  teachers  throughout  the  Indian  Empire,  and  in 
the  name  of  the  300,000  scholars,  I  thank  you  for  the  welcome 

42 


TH  E    WM  ITE    HOUSE- 
WASH  I  NCTON 


April  29,  1907. 

Sir: 

Pray  express  the  assurance  of  my  hearty  good  will  to 
those  engaged  in  giving  a  world  character  to  organized 
Sunday  School  work.    All  good  citizens  must  cordially 
sympathize  with  the  effort  to  secure  for  the  children  of 
all  countries,  for  those  who  will  come  after  us  and  in 
whose  hands  the  destinies  of  their  several  nations  will 
lie,  the  education  in  things  spiritual  and  moral  that  even 
more  than  the  education  of  the  head  and  the  hand  are  ne- 
cessary to  the  making  of  the  highest  type  of  citizenship. 
I  wish  all  success  to  those,  whatever  their  creed,  who 
disinterestedly  and  in  a  spirit  alike  of  common  sense  and 
of  devotion  to  duty  thus  seek  to  train  the  future  genera- 
tion in  the  things  of  the  spirit  no  less  than  in  the 
things  of  the  body. 

With  regard,  believe  me. 

Sincerely  yours, 

Mr.  Edward  K.  Warren,  President , 

World's  Sunday  School  Convention, 
Three  Oaks,  Michigan. 


The  Convention  Itself 

you  have  accorded  us.  I  have  no  doubt  as  I  go  back  to 
India,  I  shall  be  carrying  happy  memories  of  this  great 
convention.  Was  it  not  Augustine  who  went  from  this  city 
carrying  the  message  of  the  evangel  to  the  people  of  Great 
Britain,  and  have  not  the  memories  of  Paul  and  Peter 
traveled  throughout  the  whole  world?" 

Pastor  Basche  of  Berhn  spoke  of  the  work  in  Germany, 
but  that  which  the  delegates  will  remember  best  about  him 
was  his  kindly  face,  and  pastoral,  benevolent  bearing,  a 
true  type  of  the  German  shepherd  of  the  needy  and  wander- 
ing human  flock,  a  benediction  wherever  he  goes. 

In  responding  for  North  America,  Mr.  Warren  told  of  the 
remarkable  voyage  of  the  two  delegates'  ships  across  the 
Atlantic  and  through  the  Mediterranean,  and  then  said: 

''The  welcome  to  America  will  come  to  you  from  the 
foremost  citizen  of  the  United  States— the  warrior  Christian. 
Warrior  in  that  he  defends  the  weak;  Christian  in  that  he  is 
a  world-peacemaker.  Honored,  respected,  loved  by  all  the 
citizens  of  North  America,  whether  the  United  States, 
Canada,  Mexico,  Cuba,  or  any  of  the  islands  of  the  sea. 
He  says  to  you:  [Mr.  Warren  then  read  the  letter  on  the 
opposite  page.] 

"It  has  given  me  great  pleasure"  said  Ambassador 
Griscom,  "to  accept  the  invitation  of  your  distinguished 
President  to  be  present  at  the  opening  session  of  your  con- 
gress. I  am,  of  course,  not  here  in  my  official  capacity,  nor 
do  I  feel  that  I  have  any  particular  knowledge  or  abilities 
that  would  quahfy  me  to  speak  to  you  about  this  work,  or 
about  the  purpose  of  this  Convention;  but  I  do  feel  that  I 
cannot  permit  six  hundred  or  more  of  my  distinguished 
fellow-countrymen  to  visit  the  country  where  I  represent 
them,  without  my  meeting  them  face  to  face  and  giving 
them  personally  a  word  of  greeting. 

"  I  do  not  propose  to  say  much,  because,  as  the  Apostle 
Paul  said  to  the  Ephesians,  'I  am  an  ambassador  in  bonds,' 
Paul  referred  here  to  cords  and  shackles;  I  am  only  under 

43 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

metaphorical  bonds  to  keep  the  peace;  but  as  my  mission  is 
international  and  one  of  peace,  so  do  I  recognize  that  with 
your  organization  international  in  character,  and  with  your 
high  purpose  of  the  broadening  of  the  common  brotherhood 
of  man,  w^e  are,  after  all,  fellow- workers. 

''I  understand  that  you  are  particularly  engaged  in  the 
development  of  .Sunday-school  work,  and  you  meet  here, 
just  as  you  met  in  Palestine  three  years  ago,  for  the  purpose 
of  giving  a  world-wide  character  to  your  work.  Surely 
such  a  high-minded,  noble  effort  must  meet  with  universal 
approval.  I  can  readily  bear  witness  to  the  great  good  that 
has  already  been  accomplished  by  you  and  your  associates 
in  the  United  States  by  giving  to  the  children  of  America  in 
the  formulative  period  of  their  existence  that  spiritual  and 
moral  education  and  upHfting  which  is  the  necessary 
complement  of  the  practical  education  which  we  treasure 
so  highly. 

''Permit  me,  therefore,  to  utter  a  special  greeting  to  those 
among  you  w^ho  are  my  fellow-countrymen  at  this  time. 
I  feel  that  as  one  who  lives  here  I  can  offer  a  heartfelt  wel- 
come to  this  historic  capital,  but  to  one  and  all  of  you, 
whatever  be  your  creed  or  nationality,  I  offer  congratulations 
on  the  good  work  so  auspiciously  begun.  I  wish  the 
"Eternal  City"  may  provide  the  inspiration  so  necessary  for 
the  continuance  of  your  work,  and  finally  I  hope  that  your 
unselfish  efforts  may  be  crowned  with  the  success  which 
their  noble  character  deserves. 

''It  occurs  to  me  that  in  order  to  give  my  greeting  to  you 
a  more  practical  form,  I  will  ask  you  to  be  so  good  as  to 
honor  me  by  coming  to  my  house  next  Wednesday  afternoon, 
at  about  half  past  five,  where  I  will  be  glad  to  have  the 
pleasure  of  greeting  you  personally  and  individually." 

At  the  close  of  Mr.  Griscom's  address,  Miss  Grace  L. 
Bailey,  a  daughter  of  the  chairman  of  the  Executive  Com- 
mittee, went  to  the  platform  and  presented  the  Ambassador 
with  a  Convention  badge. 

44 


Pastor  Basche 

Berlin. 

Pastor  J.  M.  Sellevold, 

Mr.  G.  Nesse, 

Nor\va\-. 


Rev.  Joseph  Clark.     Demetrius  Kalopothakis, 
Congo  Greece. 

Free  State.  The  Rev.  E.  B.  Turner, 

Miss  Italia  Garibaldi.  Mrs.  E.  B.  Waterhouse. 
Italy.  Honolulu. 


The  Convention  Itself 

It  was  just  before  Mr.  Griscom  spoke  that  a  young  lady 
appeared  on  the  platform,  and  when  she  was  introduced  as 
Miss  ItaKa  Garibaldi,  a  Sunday-school  teacher  in  Rome, 
a  granddaughter  of  Giuseppe  Garibaldi,  the  liberator,  the 
audience  was  on  its  feet  in  an  instant,  cheering  and  waving 
handkerchiefs.  Very  modestly  and  earnestly  Miss  Gari- 
baldi spoke  of  her  interest  in  Sunday-school  work  in  Italy. 
"I  am  especially  happy,"  she  said,  "to  be  able  to  thank  you 
for  the  appreciation  with  which  you  follow  the  work  here  in 
Italy,  and  for  the  sympathy  that  is  shown  for  the  work  from 
all  sides  of  the  world,  and  especially  from  America.  But 
that  America  and  Italy  should  be  good  friends  is  no  wonder, 
because  it  is  only  a  link  in  the  chain  of  events  which  began 
in  1849,  when  after  the  heroic  and  unsuccessful  siege  of  this 
town,  and  when  the  destinies  of  my  country  were  near 
destruction,  and  there  was  scarcely  any  hope  for  us  left,  then 
the  only  words  of  help  and  encouragement  for  my  grand- 
father and  his  brother-patriots  were  from  representatives 
of  your  great  republic.  These  events  have  formed  a  strong 
and  sincere  friendship  between  America  and  Italy." 

There  was  a  fresh  outburst  of  enthusiasm  when  Miss 
Garibaldi's  father  arose  in  the  audience — Ricciotti,  son  of 
the  liberator,  and  himself  a  hero  of  many  wars.  After  his 
greeting,  he  spoke  these  notable  words:  "If  there  was 
a  country  that  compelled  all  the  admiration  of  the  man  that 
you  are  kind  enough  to  honor,  my  father,  it  was  America. 
To  it  he  went  for  refuge  when  everybody  in  Europe  forsook 
him.  In  Staten  Island  making  candles — I  still  possess  two 
as  the  greatest  memento  I  have — the  General  found  peace 
and  quiet,  which  permitted  him  to  prepare  for  what  came 
to  him." 

On  Sunday  at  four  the  convention  hall  was  crowded  to  the 
doors  when  Campbell  Morgan  preached  the  memorable  con- 
vention sermon,  from  Mark  10:13-16,  which  he  called  "the 
King's  charter  to  all  such  as  name  his  name  and  are  called 
to  serve  him  among  the  children." 

45 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

That  Sunday,  it  will  be  remembered,  was  World's  Sun- 
day-school Day,  when  schools  in  many  lands  shared  in  a 
responsive  service  (of  which  nearly  eighty  thousand  copies 
were  distributed  in  America  alone)  prepared  at  the  sug- 
gestion of  Dr.  George  W.  Bailey,  of  Philadelphia,  by  the 
Reverend  Dr.  James  A.  Worden.  In  Rome  we  made  it, 
under  Mr.  Bonner's  direction,  an  International  Festival  of 
Praise,  singing  in  Itahan,  German,  and  English,  and  joining 
in  a  noble  hymn,  ''Amen,  Hallelujah!"  written  by  Mr.  Bon- 
ner, and  dedicated  to  the  convention. 

To  the  close  of  the  convention  a  deeply  spiritual  atmos- 
phere prevailed.  We  were  in  the  city  of  the  martyrs. 
Wherever  we  turned  our  eyes  rested  upon  reminders  of  their 
struggles.  The  very  table  in  front  of  the  platform  had  its 
message,  for  its  top  was  of  marble  taken  from  a  pagan 
temple  which  stood  where  the  Methodist  Building  now 
stands.  It  was  good  to  have  F.  B.  Meyer  with  us,  to  hear 
him  on  "The  Oneness  of  Believers;"  good  to  start  the  day 
with  him,  or  with  Campbell  Morgan,  in  the  Quiet  Hour 
meditations.  It  was  good  to  look  into  the  face  of  Bishop 
Wilham  Burt,  the  apostle  of  miHtant  Methodism  in  Italy; 
to  know  Dr.  N.  Walling  Clark,  the  Presiding  Elder  of  the 
Mediterranean  District. 

Said  Bishop  Burt  in  presiding  over  the  Monday  afternoon 
session: 

"As  I  travel  up  and  down  Europe  and  go  into  nearly 
every  country  every  year,  I  know  something  about  the 
Sunday-school  work  that  is  done.  We  have  some  quite 
large  Sunday-schools  in  different  parts  of  the  Continent  of 
Europe,  but  I  fear  that  the  great  Sunday-school  idea  has  not 
yet  penetrated  into  many  of  these  countries — the  idea  that 
it  is  the  school  of  Christ  for  children  of  all  ages.  I  rejoice 
that  you  are  here,  and  I  believe  that  you  are  going  to  accom- 
plish great  good,  not  only  for  this  city  and  this  country, 
but  for  all  of  Europe.  May  the  inspiration  of  this  con- 
vention go  out  into  every  land  of  this  great  Continent! 

46 


The  Convention  Itself 

''We  have  here  in  Italy,"  said  the  Reverend  Gaetano 
Conte,  of  Venice,  "a  surplus  population  of  over  400,000. 
Of  course  we  go  to  America.  We  have  two  hundred  Italian 
ministers  working  in  America  among  the  Italians.  I  know 
one  of  the  friends  who  worked  there  in  missionary  work  for 
eight  years,  and  in  that  time  he  had  five  hundred  conversions 
to  Christianity,  and  I  know  that  many  of  his  brethren  came 
back  to  Italy,  and  are  starting  churches  in  the  mountains 
where  it  is  very  difficult  for  us  to  go." 

We  were  privileged  to  meet  with  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal ministers  of  Italy  in  their  conference,  holding  its 
sessions  in  conjunction  with  the  Convention.  Dr.  Mosheim 
Rhodes,  of  St.  Louis,  U.  S.  A.,  expressed  our  united  thought 
w^hen  he  said,  with  intense  earnestness,  in  addressing  that 
conference : 

"It  is  more  than  an  ordinary  thing,  my  brethren,  to  come 
face  to  face  with  missionaries  of  the  cross  in  a  foreign  land. 
It  is  a  thing  of  the  widest  significance,  and  my  heart  thrills 
with  joy  when  I  think  of  it  this  morning,  and  the  more 
because  of  the  relation  which  I  sustain  to  the  denomination 
to  w^hich  I  belong.  I  am  happy.  Bishop,  to  be  a  Lutheran, 
and  I  am  thrilled  with  the  thought  this  morning  that  Paul 
was  here  once,  and  that  Luther  was  here  once,  and  made 
something  of  a  stir  after  he  left.  I  am  very  gratified  and 
delighted  to  know  that  both  John  and  Charles  Wesley  are 
here  now." 

And  Carey  Bonner  beautifully  expressed  the  purpose  and 
ideals  of  the  convention: 

"  A  great  Danish  sculptor  carved  in  stone  the  figure  of 
Christ  uplifted.  If  any  of  us  enter  into  the  church  where 
this  great  figure  is  found,  we  should  think  that  the  face  of 
Christ  is  the  most  beautiful  that  artist  ever  carved,  but  as 
you  stand  there  you  will  fail  to  catch  the  full  beauty;  but 
when  one  who  knows  takes  you  to  the  place  where  you 
kneel  at  the  feet  of  Christ  and  look  up,  you  will  see  the 
glory  of  the  face.     You  and  I  have  come  together  in  order 

47 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

that  we  might  kneel  at  the  feet  of  our  one  Lord  and  catch 
the  vision  of  his  face." 

It  was  a  privilege  to  follow  in  imagination  with  Dr.  J. 
Gordon  Gray,  the  footsteps  of  Paul  in  Rome,  and  to  see  with 
our  own  eyes  the  things  that  Paul  must  have  seen  along  the 
Appian  Way.  "Of  supreme  and  thrilHng  interest," 
writes  Mr.  Frank  L.  Brown,  "was  the  fact  that  to  the 
Convention  in  this  City  of  Rome,  the  city  of  the  imprison- 
ment and  death  of  the  great  missionary  apostle,  poured  in 
reports  of  Sunday-school  progress  and  great  forward 
movements. 

"  But  of  special  moment  was  a  meeting  held  at  the  Quiri- 
nal  Hotel  one  night  after  the  Convention  programme,  where 
in  the  room  of  Dr.  George  W.  Bailey,  the  weary  members  of 
the  American  Section  of  the  World's  Executive  Committee 
met,  and  in  response  to  the  earnest  plea  of  the  Reverend 
Dr.  Thomas  D.  Christie,  of  Tarsus,  voted  to  locate  at  Tarsus, 
the  birthplace  of  Paul,  a  Secretary  for  the  Sunday  School 
Association  of  Asia  Minor,  enrolling  now  40,000  scholars. 
How  the  heart  of  the  apostle  would  have  been  stirred  by 
this  action! 

"And  at  the  same  meeting  the  noble  men  of  that  Com- 
mittee pledged  $1,000  to  place  a  Secretary  upon  the  field  in 
Korea.  The  last  nation  to  open  its  doors  to  the  West  and 
ablaze  now  with  a  Christianity  of  the  Pauline  type,  and 
Asia  Minor,  the  scene  of  his  birth,  suffering,  and  seed- 
sowing,  were  thus  planned  for  in  Rome  where  his  mighty 
heart  ceased  its  beating,  by  men  who  have  nineteen  cen- 
turies after  caught  his  world-wide  vision  and  are  bringing 
it  to  realization  by  the  pathway  of  the  child." 

There  were  hours  when  we  seemed  to  stand  on  a  towering 
height  for  an  eagle-view  of  continents  and  hemispheres. 
Bishop  Hartzell,  of  Africa,  gray-haired,  and  bronzed  by 
tropical  suns,  gave  us  such  a  view  as  this  of  his  continent 
field. 

We  saw  Japan  through  the  keen  eyes  of  Frank  L.  Brown, 
48 


The  Convention  Itself 

homeward-bound  from  his  tour  of  Sunday-school  organiza- 
tion work  in  that  land.  The  Japan  Sunday  School  Asso- 
ciation is  now  a  fact,  and  its  three  secretaries  will  be 
supported  for  the  present  by  the  American  Committee  on 
Japan,  largely  through  the  generosity  of  Mr.  H.  J.  Heinz,  of 
Pittsburg. 

Three  Americans,,  known  to  Sunday-school  workers 
throughout  our  land  brought  practical  experiences  and 
inspiration  from  their  special  spheres  of  labor.  Mrs.  Mary 
Foster  Bryner  addressed  the  convention  on  "Foundation 
Truths  for  Children,"  setting  forth  the  principles  of  teaching 
the  little  children  truths  that  are  within  their  reach;  Marion 
Lawrance  dealt  in  his  masterly  way  with  the  Sunday-school 
organized  for  service.  And  as  a  result  of  Dr.  W.  A.  Dun- 
can's addresses,  Home  Department  work  will  be  taken  up 
in  more  than  one  new  field  with  intelligent  appreciation 
of  its  place  and  value. 

Another  work  of  world-wide  significance  is  the  Inter- 
national Bible  Reading  Association,  described  in  the 
convention  by  Mr.  Charles  Waters,  of  London,  its  honorary 
secretary,  to  whom  the  association  chiefly  owes  its  existence 
and  extension.  The  society  has  for  its  ideal  an  open  Bible 
in  every  home.  In  the  first  year,  1882,  it  had  11,000  mem- 
bers reading  the  Bible  every  day.  It  now  has  nearly 
a  million  in  all  parts  of  the  world,  with  about  98,000,000 
cards  and  leaflets  circulated  since  1882. 

It  would  hardly  be  possible  to  exaggerate  the  importance 
of  the  remarkable  exhibit  of  publications  and  appliances 
prepared  by  Dr.  and  Mrs.  C.  R.  Blackall,  of  Philadelphia, 
assisted  by  Allan  Sutherland  of  the  same  city.  Every  paper, 
book,  map,  or  appHance,  was  mounted  or  in  some  way 
plainly  displayed  for  study.  The  periodicals  represented 
a  total  output  of  nearly  500,000,000  pieces  of  printed  mat- 
ter in  a  year. 

The  exhibit  of  printed  material  and  appliances  was 
indeed  exceptionally  fine.     But  there  was  another  grouping 

49 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

of  Sunday-school  helpers  even  more  remarkable — the 
leaders  of  the  convention.  Mr.  Warren,  quick,  resourceful, 
warm-hearted,  and  at  his  best  in  the  shouldering  of  sudden 
responsibihties;  F.  F.  Belsey,  of  England,  type  of  the  level- 
headed Englishman,  robust  in  mind  and  body;  Mr.  Heinz, 
magnetic  in  personality,  generous  in  word  and  deed,  a  man 
who  loves  to  do  things;  Carey  Bonner,  music-lover  and 
worship-leader,  composer  of  inspiring  harmonies  and 
inspirer  of  harmonious  song;  Mr.  McCrillis,  thoughtful, 
retiring,  and  always  ready  to  say  the  steadying  word  and 
to  do  the  graceful  thing  in  his  earnest  way;  Senor  Filippini, 
Secretary  of  the  Italian  Sunday  School  Association,  every- 
where at  once,  serving  one  and  all,  tireless  and  courteous, 
his  fine  face  aglow  with  excitement  and  appreciation  and 
cordiality;  W.  N.  Hartshorn,  the  sympathetic,  unwearying, 
far-seeing,  and  patient  bearer  of  burdens,  whose  face  shines 
with  an  inner  Hfe  voided  of  self;  and  Dr.  Bailey,  the  tactful, 
sweet-spirited  reconciler  of  impossible  situations,  who  looks 
problems  squarely  in  the  eyes,  and  whose  bearing  and  words 
create  an  atmosphere  of  quiet  hopefulness  wherever  he  is — 
these  and  many  others  of  the  executive  group  are  worthy  of 
the  study  of  men  and  women  who  would  learn  the  secrets  of 
high  Christian  efficiency.  The  days  of  sacrifice  are  not 
ended.  Every  man  among  these  leaders  finds  the  work 
gloriously  costly  and  splendidly  hard. 

Hereafter,  by  resolution  of  the  convention,  the  "World's 
Sunday  School  Association"  is  to  be  the  name  of  the  organi- 
zation represented  by  the  convention  and  its  world-wide 
activities.  Around-the-world  ''Sunday-school  Visitation" 
is  one  of  the  great  plans  in  the  minds  of  the  executive  com- 
mittee— a  plan  that  includes  a  chartered  ship  and  a  world 
tour  of  several  hundred  Sunday-school  leaders  for  study  and 
counsel. 

We  held  a  service  in  the  Coliseum  on  the  afternoon  of 
Thursday,  May  23.  We  had  heard  long  before  that  meet- 
ings could  not  be  held  in  the  Coliseum,  and  so  it  was  no 

50 


The  Convention  Itself 

surprise  to  some  to  learn  that  the  meeting  woitld  be  held, 
for  ordinarily  the  thing  that  can't  be  done  in  Christian  ser- 
vice is  the  thing  that  can  be  done.  The  authorities,  who 
were  sure  to  refuse,  gave  hearty  permission,  and  there,  with 
the  old  brown  walls  about  us,  and  the  arena  close  beside  us, 
this  world-gathering  of  Christians  without  molestation  sang 
its  hymns,  and  prayed  under  the  open  sky  where  once  our 
predecessors  of  high  faith  and  unfaltering  courage  were 
prey  for  lions  and  wilder  beasts  of  men.  Mr.  Lawrance  read 
the  Scriptures,  Dr.  Mosheim  Rhodes  offered  prayer,  F.  B. 
Meyer  read  an  impressive  poem,  "The  Architect  of  the 
Amphitheatre,"  written  for  the  occasion  by  the  Reverend 
Walter  J.  Mathams,  of  Orkney  Isles,  and  Bishop  Hartzell 
pronounced  the  benediction. 

Our  closing  meeting  on  Thursday  evening  was  given  over 
largely  to  testimony.  More  than  tw^enty  speakers  spoke 
briefly.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  G.  Landes,  of  Pennsylvania  sang 
most  beautifully  as  a  duet  the  gospel  hymn  "He  knows." 
Italians  gave  their  testimony.  Miss  Trotter,  of  Algiers,  and 
the  Reverend  E.  E.  Braithwaite,  of  Massachusetts,  spoke. 
Joseph  Clark,  of  the  Congo,  added  his  w^ord  about  the 
work  in  his  field;  Bishop  Hartzell  announced  with  great 
feeling,  the  gift  of  nearly  $50,000  to  missions  in  North 
Africa.  Principal  Elson  I.  Rexford,  of  Canada,  member 
of  the  Lesson  Committee,  said: 

"I  stand  before  you  to-night  as  a  representative  of  a  broad 
area  and  of  a  small  population,  but  one  which  is  rapidly 
growing,  and  the  religious  comm.unity  is  taxed  to  the  utmost 
to  meet  the  new  conditions  which  are  developing.  There 
are  two  features  in  connection  with  our  gathering  here  which 
have  been  emphasized  strongly  in  the  progress  of  our 
convention  which  seem  to  be  closely  related  to  the  agencies 
of  Canada.  We  find  it  almost  impossible,  among  the 
various  religious  bodies,  to  meet  the  spiritual  needs  of  the 
workingmen.  There  are  thousands  in  our  western  plains, 
and  the  different  churches  have  recognized  the  principle 

SI 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Aroimd 

which  has  been  emphasized  here,  that  while  they  may  not 
be  able  to  provide  regular  ministrations  of  the  church  in  all 
these  sections,  they  are  wisely  endeavoring  to  establish 
Sunday-schools  as  the  nucleus  of  future  congregations. 
And  we  find,  Mr.  Chairman,  that  all  these  bodies,  the 
Methodist  body,  the  Presbyterian  body,  the  Anglican  body 
are  all  appointing  field  secretaries  in  order  to  look  after  the 
Sunday-school  work  in  these  new  districts  as  a  first  step  in 
the  religious  organization  of  this  new  life.  We  have  had 
that  truth  manifested  here  in  this  Convention.  Those  of  us 
who  are  related  to  this  new  work  will  go  back  fortified  in 
our  opinion  that  this  is  one  of  the  directions  in  which  the 
different  religious  bodies  must  endeavor  to  strengthen 
themselves  and  to  carry  out  their  work  in  hand. 

"  My  one  other  thought  is  this:  I  think  in  Canada  we  have 
this  advantage  over  any  district  I  have  yet  come  in  contact 
with;  we  have  all  the  religious  bodies  of  Protestantism 
united  in  this  work.  The  Methodist,  Baptist,  Church  of 
England  are  all  using  the  International  Lesson  scheme. 
Why  should  not  that  attitude  be  taken  which  will  enable 
all  of  the  Protestant  bodies  to  unite  upon  this  great  work  ? 
It  is  worth  working  for.     It  is  worth  doing  our  best  for." 

And  the  Reverend  E.  E.  Braithwaite,  of  Massachusetts, 
said  earnestly: 

''As  the  Christian  era,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  we 
have  not  accompHshed  all  that  we  might  have  in  the  glorious 
opportunities  that  have  been  before  us  in  the  Christian 
church,  nevertheless,  represents  the  wonderful  progress 
that  has  been  made  during  these  centuries,  so  with  the  new 
emphasis  that  is  nov/  being  placed  on  missionary  work.  And 
particularly  since  the  emphasis  is  being  put  in  the  right  di- 
rection, in  the  education  of  the  young  in  this  particular 
manner,  it  seems  to  me  that  from  this  we  may  take  cour- 
age and  go  forward  with  the  note  of  inspiration  and  tri- 
umph as  we  go  down  from  this  Convention,  and  beheve  that 
for  us  is  coming,  if  we  take  advantage  of  these  privileges 

52 


The  Convention  Itself 

that  are  ours,  the  greatest  triumphs  yet  in  the  history  of  the 
Christian  Church,  and  in  the  history  of  the  world." 

Early  on  Thursday  morning,  our  last  day  together,  some 
of  us  went  with  Dr.  N.  WaUing  Clark  to  the  catacombs  of 
Domatilla,  one  of  the  few  places  where  it  is  quite  certain 
that  the  Christians  were  wont  to  meet  for  worship  in  the  days 
of  persecution.  We  passed  out  of  the  brilliant  morning  sun- 
shine into  the  cool  of  the  descending  stairway,  and  thence 
with  our  small  tapers  through  the  narrow,  tomb-lined 
passages  to  a  small  room  cut  in  the  soft  tufa.  We  were 
standing  now  in  the  room  where  other  Christians  had  met 
in  secret  in  the  last  resting-place  of  their  dead,  to  speak  with 
one  another  of  the  gospel  of  life.  A  faint  light  came  to  us 
from  an  opening  overhead  in  the  passageway  beyond  the 
room.  Many  of  our  small  lights  were  put  out  as  we  stood 
close  together.  We  sang  ''My  faith  looks  up  to  thee,"  and 
we  prayed  together  where  others  had  prayed  in  centuries 
long  past,  and  we  prayed  that  we  might  not  forget.  After 
we  had  prayed  in  the  words  of  the  prayer  that  our  Lord 
taught  his  disciples,  we  turned  once  again  to  take  our  way 
through  the  dark  passages  to  the  open  air  above. 

And  a  child  in  the  midst  of  the  company,  whose  light  had 
not  gone  out,  was  touching  the  candles  of  others  now  with 
the  little  flame  he  held  so  that  they  might  have  Hght  once 
more  for  the  journey  upward.  We  came  into  the  broad 
daylight  once  more,  and  took  the  Appian  W^ay  to  the  city. 
Wherever  the  eye  turned  there  was  the  appeal  of  historic 
association.  The  last  evening  hours  of  the  convention  drew 
on  and  lengthened  as  we  sat  together  in  fellowship,  while 
many  bore  testimony  to  the  impress  of  the  convention,  and 
Dr.  Tyler  lifted  us  to  the  heights  in  his  closing  address, 
"Arise,  let  us  go  hence."  But  some  of  us  go  back  in  our 
thought  to  the  httle  room  in  the  catacombs  for  the  heart  of 
the  convention,  and  see  again  the  light-giving  child  in  the 
midst. 

53 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 
The  Claim  of  the  Child 

By  the  Rev.  Dr.  G.  Campbell  Morgan 

Dr.  Morgan^ s  Opening  Prayer: 

Our  Father,  most  heartily  do  we  pray  thee  to  solemnize 
and  quiet  our  hearts  in  thy  presence.  We  thank  thee  for 
the  subduing  and  uplifting  consciousness  we  have  had 
already  that  we  are  indeed  in  thy  presence.  We  have  not 
to  ascend  to  the  height  to  find  thee;  neither  have  we  to 
descend  to  the  depth  to  bring  thee  up.  We  have  to  make 
no  proclamation  to  come  to  the  place  where  thou  art.  In 
thee  we  live  and  move  and  have  our  being,  and  moreover, 
for  us  the  veil  has  been  rent.  We  come  a  company  of 
priests,  desiring  to  appear  in  the  Holy  of  Holies,  the  sacred 
place  of  our  priesthood,  offering  to  thee  the  eucharist,  the 
great  thanksgiving  of  our  deepest  hearts,  presenting  in  thy 
presence  our  petitions,  our  intercessions,  worshiping  and 
adoring  thee,  and  receiving  from  thee  the  gifts  which  thou 
art  desirous  of  bestowing  upon  us.  And  yet  in  our  coming 
we  are  afraid,  not  of  thee,  for  thou  hast  commended  thy 
love  toward  us,  "in  that  while  we  were  yet  sinners,  Christ 
died  for  us,"  and  "Perfect  love  casteth  out  fear,"  but 
we  are  afraid  of  ourselves,  our  Father.  We  have  so  often 
been  in  the  place  of  vision,  and  our  eyes  have  been  holden 
and  we  have  not  seen.  Aye,  verily,  thou  hast  spoken  to 
us  and  the  babel  of  earth's  voices  has  drowned  the  accent 
of  the  still  small  voice  of  God.  We  have  been,  as  we  now 
are,  in  thy  presence  and  thou  hast  been  near  to  us  with 
purposes  of  blessing,  and  we  have  awakened  presently  as 
from  a  troubled  dream,  crying  out  in  our  amazement,  "Lo, 
God  was  in  this  place,  and  we  knew  it  not."  Deliver  us 
from  such  a  failure  now.  Not  only  do  we  ask  for  the  vision, 
but  for  eyes  anointed  to  see;  not  only  that  thou  wilt  speak 
to  us,  but  for  ears  opened  to  hear;  not  only  for  thy  nearness, 
but  that  we  may  be  keen  of  scent  in  the  things  of  the  Lord. 

Sanctify  to  every  one  of  thy  people  their  being  here 
54 


The  Claim  of  the  Child 

assembled,  gathered  together  by  thy  Holy  Spirit  in  this 
mystic  and  holy  fellowship  from  all  parts  of  the  world 
where  we  have  our  daily  haunts,  and  yet  where  we  also  are 
near  to  each  other  as  to  spiritual  principles,  now  by  thy 
grace  gathered  for  a  little  in  bodily  presence. 

We  beseech  thee,  first  of  all,  to  receive  our  united  song 
of  praise  and  thanksgiving.  And  where  shall  we  begin  to 
praise  thee?  We  do  not  know.  As  we  have  sung  from 
childhood,  so  again  we  sing  to-day  that  we  are  lost  in  wonder, 
love  and  praise.  "How  precious  are  thy  thoughts  unto  us, 
O  God;  how  great  is  the  sum  of  them."  The  mercies  and 
the  tender  love  of  our  God  fill  us  with  gratitude,  and  here 
at  the  altar  we  bow  in  reverence  and  worship.  We  thank 
thee,  first  of  all,  for  what  thou  art  unto  us.  And  we  thank 
thee  that  we  have  come  to  the  knowledge  of  what  thou  art 
through  the  revelation  that  thou  hast  given  to  us  through 
Jesus  Christ.  For  all  the  revelation  of  bygone  days  we 
magnify  and  adore  thee.  For  the  messages  spoken  in  olden 
times  to  the  saints  by  prophets,  seers,  and  Psalmist,  we 
thank  thee.  We  thank  thee  that  thou  who  didst  speak  in 
divers  places  and  in  divers  manners  at  last  spoke  unto  men 
by  thy  Son.  We  thank  thee  for  his  speech;  for  the  word  of 
God  made  flesh;  for  the  infinite  music  of  his  message,  the 
concord  of  all  utterance.  We  thank  thee  that  he  ever  spoke, 
and  that  we  have  heard,  even  though  as  yet  we  have  not 
perfectly  understood  the  things  he  has  said  to  us.  We 
thank  thee,  therefore,  and  especially  on  this  day,  that  thou 
hast  not  left  to  us  the  interpretation  of  the  music  of  the 
message,  but  thou  hast  granted  this  through  thy  Holy  Spirit, 
whose  sacred  office  it  is  to  take  of  the  things  of  Christ  and 
reveal  them  unto  us;  and  for  the  coming  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
we  praise  thee. 

We  thank  thee  for  the  Holy  Catholic  Church,  for  all.  thy 
gifts  to  her  through  the  centuries.  As  members  of  that 
church  we  confess  her  manifold  sins  and  failures,  and  yet 
we  thank  thee,  our  Father,  that  thou  hast  given  to  her  to  be 

55 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

the  light-bearer,  and  that  from  her  has  flowed  forth  the 
richness  of  thy  grace,  and  we  magnify  and  adore  thee  for 
all  the  living  members  of  thy  church  in  the  world  to-day. 
We  thank  thee  for  those  who  have  passed  into  the  light — 
for  our  holy  dead.  We  magnify  and  adore  thee  for  our 
communion  with  the  saints  who  have  crossed  over.  We 
praise  thy  holy  name.  But  we  thank  thee  thy  church  is 
still  here,  and  we  are  of  it,  members  of  Christ,  and  therefore 
of  his  body.  We  praise  thee  that  we  may  realize  our  oneness 
with  all  those  who  share  his  life  and  bear  his  holy  name. 
But,  our  Father,  we  need  the  manifold  services  of  thy 
church.  We  thank  thee  that  thou  hast  called  thy  people 
to  a  new  understanding  of  the  sacredness  of  their  mission 
to  the  children.  And  our  hearts  are  full  of  gratitude  to-day 
as  we  think  of  w^hat  we  represent,  of  the  schools  scattered 
over  the  world  into  which  the  children  are  gathered,  and 
we  pray  now  for  all  our  Sunday-schools.  We  think  of 
them  this  morning,  the  children  we  have  left  behind,  and 
the  teachers  who  are  thinking  of  us  and  praying  for  us,  and 
for  whom  we  especially  desire  to  pray  to-day.  God  bless 
them  all.  Grant,  we  beseech  thee,  that  in  this  toil  that 
needs  so  much  of  dihgence  and  so  much  of  patience  all 
may  realize  the  girding  of  the  patient  Christ,  and  may 
they  ever  be  strong  for  their  work.  God  bless  our  children 
everywhere.  We  think  of  our  bairns  to-day  with  hearts 
full  of  gratitude  to  thee  for  their  ministry,  for  their  laughter 
and  merriment,  for  all  the  joy  that  is  in  our  homes  where 
they  are.  We  pray  for  our  children.  And  what  shall  we 
pray  for  them?  We  will  pray  for  them,  O  Christ,  what 
thou  didst  pray  for  us.  We  pray  not  that  thou  shouldst 
take  them  out  of  the  world;  we  pray  that  thou  wouldst  be 
pleased  to  keep  them  from  the  evil  that  is  in  the  world,  and 
to  this  end  make  us  what  we  ought  to  be.  May  the  little 
children  be  to  us  a  light  and  a  glory.  May  the  children  be 
to  every  one  of  us  a  burden  and  a  responsibility,  saving  us 
when  we  might  go  astray;  leading  us,  for  '*A  little  child 

S6 


The  Claim  of  the  Child 

shall  lead  them"  in  the  days  of  thy  perfect  kingdom.  Now, 
be  with  us  as  we  open  thy  Word.  Set  aside  everything  that 
is  merely  of  man.  Speak  Lord,  for  thy  servants  wait  to  hear 
thv  voice.     We  ask  it  for  Christ's  sake.     Amen. 


Dr.  Morgan  read  as  his  text  Mark  10:13-16: 
Afid  they  hr ought  young  children  to  him,  that  he  shoidd 
touch  them:  and  his  disciples  rebuked  those  that  brought  them. 
But  when  Jesus  saw  it,  he  was  much  displeased,  and  said  unto 
them,  Suffer  the  little  children  to  come  unto  me,  and  forbid 
them  not:  for  of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  God.     Verily  I  say 
unto  you.  Whosoever  shall  not  receive  the  kingdom  of  God 
as  a  little  child,  he  shall  not  enter  therein.     And  he  took  them 
up  in  his  arms,  put  his  hands  upon  them,  and  blessed  them. 
One  can  almost  imagine  that  in  the  heart  of  very  many 
of  you,  all  of  you  Sunday-school  workers,  there  is  a  protest 
against  the  taking  of  this  text.    lam  perfectly  well  aware  that 
this  is  the  age  in  which  startling  texts  are  favored.     I  plead 
to  a  growing  regard  for  the  old  and  familiar  texts,  and  I  do 
that  because  I  am  coming  to  feel  in  my  own  life  and  minis- 
try that  there  is  nothing  we  need  to-day  more  than  to  renew 
our  acquaintance  with  old  and  fundamental  things.     There 
is  nothing  we  need  more  than  to  be  persuaded  of  the  truth 
of  the  things  which  w^e  believe.     I  think  my  brethren  in 
the  ministry  will  agree  with  me  when  I  say  that  the  hardest 
thing  we  have  to  do  in  preaching  is  to  make  men  believe 
the  things  they  believe,  and  if  we  can  but  face  again  in  this 
sacred  hour  the  fundamental  things  that  touch  our  work, 
I  am  perfectly  sure  that  all  the  technical  things  of  supreme 
importance  to  which  this  conference  will  give  itself  in  the 
days  to  come,  will  be  well  cared  for.     In  that  sense,  there- 
fore, I  make  no  apology  in  bringing  you  back  to  consider 
these  old  and  familiar  words. 

In  this  passage  we  have  the  King's  charter  to  all  such 
as  name  his  name  and  are  called  to  serve  him  among  the 
children.     This  is  one  of  the  passages  almost  any  congrega- 

57 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

tion,  I  presume,  brought  up  in  evangelical  Christendom, 
could  recite  quite  familiarly.  This  is  one  of  the  passages 
in  the  teachings  of  Jesus  that  has  most  profoundly  appealed 
to  and  affected  the  heart  of  humanity,  and  when  one  is 
asked  to  account  for  the  widespread  appeal  of  this  and 
kindred  passages,  I  would  say  that  it  is  on  account  of  their 
simplicity.  Who  is  there  that  has  anything  of  humanity 
in  him  who  does  not  understand  this:  "Suffer  the  children 
to  come  unto  me,  and  forbid  them  not,  for  of  such  is  the 
kingdom  of  heaven."  And  yet,  my  brethren,  I  appeal  to 
you  to  agree  with  me  when  I  declare  that  while  it  is  perfectly 
true  that  simplicity  characterized  the  words  of  Christ,  sim- 
plicity would  not  make  its  appeal  for  long,  were  it  merely 
the  simplicity  of  superficiality.  It  is  rather  the  simplicity 
of  a  great  profundity.  And  when  Christ  uttered  words 
like  these,  which  have  made  their  appeal  to  the  humanity 
within  us  so  profoundly,  it  is  because  in  uttering  these 
words  he  spoke  out  of  the  depths  of  his  own  nature  to  the 
depths  of  our  own.  This  word  of  Christ  is  in  itself  of 
supreme  interest,  and  that  interest  is  the  more  profound 
in  view  of  the  tone  in  which  he  uttered  it. 

I  am  quite  sure  you  will  agree  with  me  that  tone  is  every- 
thing in  the  last  analysis.  I  have  heard  a  man  preach  the 
orthodox  faith  in  such  a  tone  as  to  make  me  wish  I  were 
a  heretic,  and  I  am  not,  I  have  heard  a  man  utter  the 
sweetest  and  tenderest  things  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ  with 
such  acidity  as  to  alienate  rather  than  attract.  Tone  is  the 
final  thing.  You  notice  the  tone  in  which  Christ  spoke 
these  words,  and  I  think  you  will  see  how  starthng  they 
become.  We  always  quote  them  with  great  tenderness, 
and  if  it  happens  that  we  have  the  power  of  putting  tears 
in  our  voices,  we  put  them  here.  But  he  did  not  so  recite 
them.  He  was  moved  with  indignation — that  was  his  tone. 
And  while  I  am  perfectly  prepared  to  grant  that  his  voice 
thrilled  with  tenderness,  I  claim  that  it  vibrated  in  thunder. 
Oh,  yes,  you  could  hear  the  tears,  but  you  could  hear  the 

S8 


The  Claim  of  the  Child 

thunder.  Sometimes  imagination  is  the  only  thing  that 
will  serve  for  correct  exposition  of  Scripture.  If  we  had 
stood  in  that  crowd,  and  had  looked  and  listened  to  Jesus 
that  day,  we  would  have  heard  all  the  melody  of  his  heart 
of  love,  but  we  would  have  known  we  were  standing  in  the 
presence  of  One  who  was  capable  of  anger  as  well  as  love. 
And  these  things  are  not  contradictory.  We  make  them 
contradictory;  for  even  as  I  read  this  passage  some  things 
in  their  extreme  application  seem  to  be  in  conflict,  but 
here  in  the  presence  of  Christ  the  things  which  seem  to 
conflict  are  seen  to  be  in  perfect  accord.  He  w^as  moved 
with  indignation,  and  then  he  said  the  sweetest  and  tenderest 
and  most  beautiful  things  that  ever  fell  from  his  lips  con- 
cerning childhood,  "Suffer  the  children  to  come  unto  me." 
The  tenderness  was  for  the  children,  the  anger  was  for  the 
disciples  who  thought  Christ  was  too  dignified  to  attend  to 
a  child.  All  the  tears  and  the  sweetness  and  the  gentleness 
reveal  his  estimate  of  a  child,  and  all  the  flash  of  his  eye  and 
the  thunder  of  his  tone  was  intended  for  men  who  should 
neglect  the  child  and  forget  what  he  thought  of  the  child. 
When  I  read  these  w^ords  of  Christ  I  am  convinced  that 
I  am  standing  in  the  light  of  revealed  truth.  All  the  acci- 
dentals are  out  of  sight,  and  the  essentials  are  laid  bare. 
By  accidentals  I  do  not  mean  tragedy  or  wonders;  I  am 
speaking  in  musical  terms.  The  accidentals  are  out  of 
sight,  and  you  have  the  plain  melody  in  this  text,  the  essential 
truths. 

It  is  my  firm  conviction  that  no  exposition  of  these  words 
can  exhaust  them.  It  is,  moreover,  brethren,  that  their 
weightiest  message  is  conveyed  by  themselves  alone.  If 
only  we  had  the  courage  to  be  silent  for  half  an  hour  in  this 
great  assembly;  if  only  we  had  enough  of  the  mystic  insight 
of  our  friends,  the  "Friends,"  not  to  want  to  speak  or  to 
hear  speaking,  and  if  we  could  let  these  words  of  Christ 
come  down  through  the  centuries  and  sing  themselves  out 
in  our  inner  Hfe,  "Sufi'er  the  children  to  come  unto  me,  and 

59 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

forbid  them  not,  for  of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven," 
then  we  should  get  the  chief  value  of  our  message.  And 
yet  this  afternoon,  as  a  father  of  children,  and  as  a  minister 
of  the  children,  and  as  a  fellow-worker  with  you  in  our  great 
Sunday-school  work  throughout  the  world,  I  want  to  ask 
you  to  think,  not  so  much  of  these  words  as  around  about 
them,  of  the  things  that  underHe  them,  of  the  things  that 
they  suggest  to  us. 

My  brethren,  suffer  me  an  illustration.  I  want,  if  I  may, 
so  to  tell  out  these  old  and  familiar  words  that  at  the 
close  of  our  service  you  and  I  together  shall  have  found 
our  way  into  the  atmosphere,  into  the  region,  which  they 
create,  into  a  new  view  of  the  things  which  they  suggest. 
I  propose,  therefore,  a  brief  threefold  line  of  consideration. 

First,  of  the  assumption  of  this  text — that  which  does  not 
appear  on  the  surface,  Christ's  assumption  when  he  said, 
"Suffer  little  children  to  come  unto  me,  for  of  such  is  the 
kingdom  of  heaven."  I  shall  then  ask  you  to  think  for 
a  moment  or  two  of  the  revelation  of  the  text,  "Of  such 
is  the  kingdom  of  heaven,"  and  finally,  a  few  words  on  the 
instruction,  "Suffer  them  to  come;  forbid  them  not." 

First,  the  assumption  of  the  text.  I  want  to  dismiss  all 
the  fathers  in  Israel,  and  talk  to  my  younger  friends  in 
Sunday-school  work.  The  fathers  will  love  me  and  pray 
for  me  and  be  patient  with  me.  I  am  going  to  ask  you  first 
of  all  to  be  very  elementary,  and  notice  that  in  these  words 
of  Christ  we  have  two  parts.  There  is  an  argument  and 
there  is  an  appeal.  You  will  notice  first  of  all  that  the 
appeal  is,  "Suffer  the  children  to  come  unto  me,  and  forbid 
them  not,"  and  the  argument  is,  "Of  such  is  the  kingdom 
of  heaven."  Before  we  can  begin  to  understand  this 
assumption  to  which  I  now  refer,  we  must  be  clear  as  to 
the  difference  between  these  two  things.  But  how  does  he 
hope  to  persuade  the  disciples  to  obedience?  Listen,  this 
is  the  argument,  "of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven."  You 
will  see  at  once  that  the  argument  is  always  the  profoundest 

60 


The  Claim  of  the  Child      ■ 

thing  in  such  a  statement  as  this.  That  while  the  appeal 
has  a  present  application  of  value,  you  are  touching  the 
lower,  but  when  you  get  to  the  argument,  you  are  touching 
the  eternal  principle.  And  if  I  would  understand  Christ's 
interest  in  the  children,  and  what  my  interest  in  the  children 
should  be,  I  must  hear  the  appeal,  but  I  must  find  my  way 
into  the  realm  of  that  underlying  argument  upon  which  he 
bases  his  appeal,  and  this  is  the  argument,  "of  such  is  the 
kingdom  of  heaven."  Yet  I  haven't  come  to  the  point  of 
giving  the  assumption. 

You  agree  with  me  that  an  argument  must  be  applicable 
if  it  is  to  be  useful,  and  you  will  also  agree  with  me  that  no 
master  of  argument  as  Jesus  was  will  ever  make  use  of 
a  false  argument  in  appealing  to  men.  By  that  I  do  not 
mean  that  he  will  not  violate  truth,  but  he  will  not  adopt  an 
argument  in  dealing  with  a  man  that  is  not  likely  to  appeal 
to  the  man  with  whom  he  is  dealing.  Nothing  is  more 
remarkable  in  the  study  of  the  teachings  and  work  of  Jesus 
than  this;  he  never  dealt  with  two  men  in  the  same  way. 
I  never  read  a  book  on  how  to  win  souls  that  I  do  not 
feel  like  saying,  Get  back  to  your  New  Testament  and 
learn  this,  that  instead  of  the  stereotyped  method  into 
which  you  are  to  impress  all  Christian  workers,  learn  the 
infinite  variety  of  Jesus.  I  sometimes  imagine  that  the 
dying  thief  and  Nicodemus  might  have  argued  that  they 
were  not  saved  because  they  came  in  such  different  ways 
into  relation  with  Jesus  Christ.  As  Christ  dealt  with 
a  man  he  knew  what  was  in  man,  and  he  appealed  to  that 
in  the  man  which  would  respond  to  his  appeal. 

And  the  disciples  prevented  the  children.  Ah,  but  that 
was  not  the  best  of  the  disciples.  That  is  the  accidental 
thing  in  the  disciples.  It  is  due  to  their  false  outlook  at  the 
moment  that  they  haven't  perfectly  understood  all  that 
Christ  has  come  to  say  to  them.  There  is  something  better 
in  them  than  that,  and  to  that  deeper  thing  Christ  makes 
his  appeal.     ''Suffer  the  children,  and  forbid  them  not," 

6i 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

Peter,  James  and  John,  "for  of  such  is  the  kingdom  of 
God,  and  whatever  fauks  you  may  have,  my  disciples, 
I  know  this  of  you,  you  have  come  to  share  my  all  consuming 
passion  for  the  kingdom  of  God."  Brethren,  if  I  rightly 
interpret  this  assumption  of  Christ's,  I  want  to  state  it  in 
this  w^ay:  Christ  never  makes  an  appeal  to  any  man  or 
woman  to  take  care  of  children  for  him  or  bring  the  children 
to  him,  until  he  knows  that  in  the  center  of  our  life  the  one 
consuming  master  passion  is  that  of  the  coming  of  the 
kingdom  of  God.  That,  as  I  understand  it,  is  the  deepest 
note  in  this  text,  this  underlying  assumption,  that  to  which 
Christ  makes  his  appeal.  And  where  this  argument  has 
ceased  to  appeal,  the  appeal  has  ceased  to  argue.  And 
wherever  you  find  a  man  whose  passion  for  the  whole  king- 
dom of  God  has  weakened,  you  will  find  a  man  who  has 
no  time  to  think  of  the  children,  and  who  is  preventing  them 
from  getting  to  Christ.  Wherever  you  find  men  and  women 
in  whom  the  flame  of  desire  for  the  coming  of  the  kingdom 
of  God  burns,  you  will  find  men  and  women  who  have  time 
for  children  and  who  care  for  them. 

Look  back  through  these  centuries  of  the  Christian  era, 
in  which  the  Christian  church  has  so  signally  and  disas- 
trously failed.  No,  brethren,  I  am  not  a  pessimist.  I  know 
her  victories.  But  I  always  feel  in  the  hour  of  great  con- 
vention, when  we  are  singing  our  victories,  it  is  well  for  some 
one  to  remind  us  of  our  failure.  Jesus  said,  *'Ye  shall  be 
witnesses  unto  me  to  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth." 
Brethren,  we  are  not  there  yet.  The  thing  is  appalHng, 
if  our  hearts  are  right  with  God.  I  thank  God  that  this 
great  World's  Convention  has  a  missionary  note  at  its 
center.  We  are  not  at  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth. 
I  recognize  her  failure  as  well  as  her  victories.  I  believe 
you  will  agree  with  me,  that  when  Paul  the  Apostle  of 
Antioch,  God's  new  base  of  missionary  operation,  wrote 
his  Galatian  letter,  it  was  the  protest  of  Antioch  against 
Jerusalem.     The  Apostle  dealt  with  things  that  had  hin- 

62 


The  Claim  of  the  Child 

dered.  What  were  they?  Formalism,  worldliness,  and 
self-centered  fleshly  hfe  have  come  in  to  be  the  master 
passion  of  the  church  and  the  child  has  been  forgotten.  It 
is  inevitably,  unfailingly  so.  Christ  cannot  appeal  for  men 
to  care  for  the  children,  as  he  would  have  them  cared  for, 
save  in  the  white  heat  of  passionate  devotion  to  the  kingdom 
of  God. 

And  where  was  all  this  great  movement  born  in  which  we 
are  rejoicing  to-day  ?  In  the  white  heat  of  revival.  When 
men  began  to  feel  again  the  burning  passion  for  the  coming 
kingdom  of  God, when  missionary  zeal  was  fanned  to  a  flame, 
when  evangelism  was  the  watchword  of  the  saints,  then 
men  also  began  to  think  of  the  children,  and  the  child  began 
to  take  its  right  place  in  our  midst.  Believe  me,  Christ's 
words  were  not  idly  or  carelessly  spoken,  and  when  he 
said,  ''Of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  God,"  he  was  making 
his  appeal  to  that  w^hich  alone  can  be  found  to  provoke  man 
to  holy  service  in  the  cause  of  children. 

My  brethren,  we  could  make  other  appeals  to-day — 
suffer  the  children  and  bring  them  into  our  midst  because 
of  their  interesting  nature.  Suffer  the  children  and  bring 
them  into  our  midst  because  of  their  homelessness  and 
because  of  their  helplessness,  but  these  things  would  none 
of  them  last  long.  But  Christ,  dealing  with  a  little  child, 
and  putting  the  child  in  the  midst,  and  teaching  his  apostles 
and  all  their  successors  the  church's  true  relation  to  the 
children,  gets  down  to  the  deepest,  most  fundamental  thing, 
"for  of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  God." 

And  that,  as  you  will  at  once  see,  has  a  twofold  application. 
First,  only  a  passion  for  God's  kingdom  is  a  sufficient 
incentive  to  saving  the  child,  and  we  cannot  save  the  child 
for  Christ's  sake,  save  as  we  ourselves  are  abandoned  to 
the  kingdom  of  God. 

Now,  may  I  pass  to  the  second  line  of  consideration  for 
a  few  minutes — the  revelation  of  the  text.  I  cannot  tell 
you  what  this  has  meant  to  my  whole  life  and  service  and 

63 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

ministry.  You  will  minimize  the  value  of  the  childlike 
nature  and  heart  if  you  let  the  children  out  of  your  sight. 
Get  back  and  stand  there  where  those  disciples  stood  with 
those  fathers  of  Salem  and  their  children.  You  know, 
of  course,  that  it  was  not  the  mothers  of  Salem  who  brought 
the  children  to  Jesus,  but  the  fathers.  I  never  criticize 
mothers — my  mother  still  lives,  thank  God — and  I  am 
not  likely  to  do  it.  What  I  want  is  to  get  the  burden  of 
caring  for  children  back  to  fathers.  Fathers  are  food 
providers,  and  moral  policemen  occasionally,  but  they  do 
not  provide  for  their  children  the  spiritual  things  as  they 
should.  Get  the  picture  when  these  parents  brought  their 
children  to  Jesus.  Now  said  Jesus,  '^  These  children  that 
you  are  trying  to  keep  away  from  me,  of  such  is  the  king- 
dom of  heaven."  Brethren,  will  you  let  me  emphasize 
the  present  tense  of  that  statement  of  Christ?  The  child 
reveals  the  kingdom,  and  the  child  reveals  the  kingdom  of 
God  as  it  is,  not  as  it  will  be,  but  as  it  is.  I  sometimes 
think  that  we  have  hindered  our  own  service  by  our  exclu- 
sively interpreting  the  kingdom  of  God  in  the  terms  of  the 
consummation.  Now,  it  is  good  that  we  should  lift  our 
eyes  and  see  the  ultimate.  I  think  that  was  what  the  Lord 
was  doing,  when  from  the  Talmudic  prayers  he  wove 
a  whole  and  gave  to  us  a  pattern  prayer,  "Our  Father 
who  art  in  heaven;  thy  name  be  hallowed;  thy  kingdom 
come."  He  was  looking  to  the  consummation,  to  the 
setting  up  of  the  heavenly  order  upon  the  earth,  that  golden 
age  to  which  all  the  dreams  of  the  seers  and  prophets  and 
saints  have  been  looking,  and  we  would  pray  in  the  midst 
of  this  struggle  and  conflict  for  the  consummation.  But 
here  he  is  not  looking  to  the  consummation,  to  the  perfect 
kingdom  of  God,  but  to  the  present  fact  of  the  kingdom 
of  God.  "Of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven."  When 
I  take  hold  of  a  little  child,  I  understand  what  the  kingdom 
of  God  is, — not  what  it  will  be,  not  the  ultimate  and  final 
glory,  but  what  it  is  here  and  now.     Then  let  me  have  and 

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The  Claim  of  the  Child 

look  at  and  talk  to  a  child.  What  is  this  little  child  ?  First, 
it  is  a  mass  of  potentialities;  second,  it  is  the  embodiment 
of  imperfection;  and,  therefore,  finally,  it  is  a  perpetual 
appeal  to  me.  That  is  the  kingdom  of  God.  It  is  not  as 
it  will  be,  but  it  is  the  kingdom  of  God  as  it  is.  Of  such 
is  the  kingdom  of  God,  you  apostles  of  the  kingdom.  As 
though  Christ  had  said,  You  men  who  are  to  interpret  the 
meaning  of  my  kingdom,  you  Scribes  instructed  in  the 
kingdom,  who  are  to  go  out  and  exercise  the  voice  of  moral 
authority  in  the  midst  of  this  and  coming  ages,  don't  drive 
the  children  away.  You  need  the  children  to  understand 
the  kingdom  into  which  you  are  going  as  missionaries.  It 
is  not  merely  for  the  sake  of  the  child;  it  is  for  the  sake 
of  the  apostle;  it  is  for  the  sake  of  the  messenger  of  Christ; 
it  is  in  order  that  we  may  understand  the  kingdom  as  it  is. 
If  we  fix  our  eyes  on  the  kingdom  as  it  is,  and  put  ourselves 
into  the  business  of  turning  the  kingdom  as  it  is  into  the 
kingdom  as  it  will  be,  it  is  then  that  we  need  to  look  at  a 
child.  Do  not  imagine  you  have  looked  upon  a  small 
thing  when  you  have  looked  upon  a  child.  "Of  such  is 
the  kingdom  of  heaven."  You  would  never  have  had 
a  corrupt  church  and  a  false  theology  if  in  the  midst  of  the 
church  and  in  the  midst  of  the  schools  of  the  church  you 
had  kept  a  little  child,  that  men  may  understand  the  king- 
dom as  it  is,  not  as  it  is  to  be. 

I  said  that  the  child  was  a  mass  of  potentiality,  or  a 
growth  of  the  oak  forest  from  the  acorn,  and  all  the  ultimate 
glory  of  the  kingdom  of  God  in  the  world  is  in  a  little  child. 
I  am  sure  that  some  of  you  will  agree  with  me  that  all  the 
sunny  glory  of  Italy  is  in  the  face  of  a  little  Italian  child. 
I  can't  for  the  life  of  me  keep  a  copper  in  my  pocket  since 
I  have  been  in  Rome,  and  I  am  simply  passing  them  out 
for  one  thing,  to  get  an  Italian  smile  from  the  face  of  a  child. 

Every  child  is  imperfect — that  is  what  makes  them  so 
delightful.  It  is  when  you  get  older,  and  perfect,  that  we 
don't  love  you  half  so  much  as  when  you  were  children. 

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Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

And  listen  to  me,  if  you  neglect  that  child  with  its  imper- 
fection, oh,  the  disaster  of  it.  If  the  acorn  be  neglected 
it  will  never  be  an  oak.  If  the  little  sunny-faced  child  in 
Rome  be  neglected,  Italy  will  go  back  to  bonds — nothing 
can  save  her,  and  if  all  these  children  are  neglected,  God's 
kingdom  cannot  come.  Apostles  and  martyrs  in  the  past 
have  borne  their  witness  in  faith  and  in  blood,  and  sent 
a  flaming,  flashing  light  right  down  through  the  centuries, 
but  these  things  will  not  save  us  the  children.  "Of  such 
is  the  kingdom  of  God,"  and  every  little  child  is  an  appeal 
to  the  Christ-filled  life,  and  represents  the  unrealized 
kingdom,  and  it  is  perpetually  calling  for  the  treatment 
which  will  realize  it. 

"Of  such  is  the  kingdom."  It  does  not  merely  mean 
that  the  child  reveals  the  kingdom,  but  the  great  kingdom 
of  God  reveals  the  child.  If  the  child  be  the  microcosm 
of  the  kingdom,  the  kingdom  is  the  macrocosm  of  the 
child.  I  come  back  and  look  into  the  face  of  a  little  child 
and  see  the  measure  of  God's  kingdom  packed  into  that 
small  individuality.  The  child  is  a  divine  creation.  I  hope 
you  all  believe  that.  I  hope  we  have  all  given  up  the 
insufferable  heresy  of  telling  children  they  belong  to  the 
devil.  I  am  not  arguing  about  original  sin;  but  that  is  not 
the  deepest  thing.  Every  little  child  is  a  divine  creation. 
How  will  you  analyze  your  child?  Take  Paul's  analysis, 
spirit,  mind,  body.  Every  child  has  these  forces,  but  none 
of  them  have  any  other  origin  than  God.  From  God 
every  child  has  come.  As  all  the  universe  is  making  its 
appeal  to  man  to  discover  it  and  govern  it  for  God,  so  also 
is  every  little  child.  Let  me  tell  you  a  story.  The  late 
Emperor  Frederick  one  day  went  into  one  of  the  common 
schools  of  Germany  and  was  talking  to  a  class  of  children 
of  the  three  kingdoms  that  they  used  to  teach  us  about 
when  we  were  in  school,  the  vegetable,  the  mineral,  and 
the  animal  kingdom.  The  Emperor,  picking  out  one  boy 
said,   "And   now,   my   boy,   what   kingdom   do    I   belong 

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The  Claim  of  the  Child 

to?"  And  the  answer  came,  "The  kingdom  of  God, 
your  Majesty."  Ah,  yes,  do  you  know  every  child  beheves 
that  about  you?  And  do  you  know  that  is  why  the  child 
trusts  you.  The  significance  of  child  life  is  saying  to  all 
of  us,  unless  you  do  belong  to  the  kingdom  of  God,  unless 
you  understand  the  divine  purpose  for  my  life  openiag  out, 
then,  in  the  name  of  my  childhood  and  of  humanity,  keep 
your  hands  off  me.  That  is  the  child's  protest,  and  the 
child's  argument,  and  the  child's  belief.  ''Of  such  is  the 
kingdom  of  heaven."  Oh,  we  would  better  never  touch 
children,  unless  we  ourselves  are  centered  in  the  circle  of 
the  will  of  God! 

Consequently  the  child  becomes  the  custodian  of  righteous- 
ness in  all  human  history.  The  first  test  of  it  is  in  yourself. 
If  you  have  any  heart  or  conscience  left,  you  do  not  do  in 
the  presence  of  children  certain  things.  The  child  is  the 
guardian  of  right.  So  in  the  home;  so  in  the  city.  The 
old  Hebrew  seers  were  indeed  men  of  vision,  and  you 
remember  that  most  wonderful  thing  ever  written  by 
a  Hebrew  prophet  concerning  the  child  and  the  kingdom, 
"The  streets  of  the  city  shall  be  full  of  children,  playing 
in  the  streets  thereof."  You  see  at  once  what  that  means. 
When  our  streets  are  fit  for  the  children,  and  the  children 
are  fit  for  the  streets  then  the  kingdom  has  come.  The 
little  child  on  the  street  is  the  test  of  everything. 

Like  Paul,  I  make  my  apology  for  boasting,  yet  you  will 
suffer  me  to  be  proud  of  one  little  thing  in  England.  Mark 
Twain  said  we  were  mentioned  in  the  Bible,  because  it  said, 
"Blessed  are  the  meek,  for  they  shall  inherit  the  earth." 
We  are  extremely  proud  in  London  of  the  government  of 
our  city  and  its  traffic.  I  was  greatly  impressed  at  a  scene 
in  Cheapside,  where  the  crowd  jostles.  Suddenly  the 
whole  line  of  traffic  was  held  up  by  the  uplifted  hand  of 
the  policeman,  and  I  wondered  what  was  the  cause.  I 
looked,  and  there  was  what  the  Scotch  people  would  call 
a  wee  bit  bairnie,  who  had  wandered  oft"  the  pathwav,  and 

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the  policeman  held  all  London  traffic  up  and  took  the  little 
child  across  the  street.  And  the  city  that  is  coming  to 
understand  that  it  must  take  care  of  the  bairns  is  a  city 
where  Christ's  spirit  is.  "Of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  God." 
Mark  you  the  revelation  of  the  principle  here.  If  the 
assumption  be  that  the  kingdom  is  the  master  passion,  the 
revelation  is  that  the  child  reveals  the  principle  along  which 
we  are  to  act  in  answer  to  the  passion. 

Now,  may  I  turn  to  the  instruction  of  the  text.  Notice, 
first,  the  simplicity  of  the  text:  ''Suffer  the  children  to  come 
unto  me,  and  forbid  them  not,  for  of  such  is  the  kingdom 
of  heaven."  That  is  the  patent  instruction.  ''To  come 
unto  me."  That  is  the  work  of  the  Sunday-school,  is  it 
not?  I  need  not  label  it.  In  this  year  of  my  Presidency 
of  the  British  Sunday  School  Union,  I  have  been  over  my 
own  country  conducting  sessions,  and  the  sentiment  is  that 
our  supreme  purpose  is  to  bring  the  children  to  Christ — not 
to  educate  them,  not  to  entertain  them,  though  both  of  these 
are  necessary,  but  to  bring  them  to  Christ.  That  is  the 
supreme  purpose  of  our  Sunday-school  work. 

You  remember  that  final  word  spoken  to  Peter  by  the 
Gahlean  lake;  the  threefold  text  with  its  wonderful  inter- 
change of  words  about  love  I  am  not  now  dealing  with, 
but  you  remember  the  charges  of  Peter;  what  was  the  first? 
"Feed  my  lambs."  What  was  the  second?  "Shepherd 
my  sheep."  What  was  the  third?  "Feed  my  sheep." 
What  I  am  going  to  say,  I  submit  to  you  for  your  own 
thought.  Christ  did  not  say  shepherd  my  lambs,  but 
feed  them.  When  he  came  to  older  people  he  said,  "shep- 
herd the  sheep,"  and  then  feed  them.  I  believe  there  is 
profound  meaning  in  it.  I  would  be  sorry  to  base  a  theology 
on  a  single  text,  but  I  believe  that  the  true  method  of  dealing 
with  the  children  is  to  tell  them  that  they  belong  to  Christ 
from  earliest  childhood.  I  am  not  positive  that  every  child 
needs  conversion;  I  am  sure  that  every  child  needs  regen- 
eration.    I   don't  know  the  day  of  my  conversion.     My 

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The  Claim  of  the  Child 

brother,  I  do  not  undervalue  your  experience  if  you  have 
such  an  hour,  only  don't  let  your  volcanic  method  interfere 
with  the  gentler  method. 

I  was  brought  up  in  a  hyper- Calvinist  home,  and  my 
father's  method  was  better  than  his  creed.  I  say  that  with 
bated  breath,  because  he  is  living  still,  thank  God,  and  in 
our  ow^n  home.  I  never  remember  the  hour  in  w^hich  he 
did  not  tell  me  that  I  belonged  to  Christ.  How  does  he 
square  that  with  his  hyper- Calvinism?  That  is  his  prob- 
lem, not  mine.  Thank  God  for  Calvinism,  but  while  that 
is  true,  we  have  got  to  remember  ^hat  Christ  said,  "Feed 
my  lambs." 

The  little  child  is  all  his,  and  if  they  may  all  be 
fed  and  cared  for  and  tended  in  their  earliest  years,  there 
will  come  a  moment,  known  as  adolescence,  when  will 
begins  to  work ;  the  child  will  say,  yes,  I  am  his,  and  then, 
sweet  and  gentle  as  the  kiss  of  the  morning  on  the  hill,  as 
the  distilling  of  the  dew  on  the  herb,  the  child  will  pass  into 
personal  relations  with  Jesus  Christ.  Suffer  them  to  come 
and  forbid  them  not,  for  of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 

What  lies  behind  that?  Surely  there  is  a  thought  that 
is  personal.  If  I  am  to  be  a  man  who  will  help  them  and 
lead  them  I  must  be  a  man  wholly  submitted  to  Christ. 
Listen,  I  must  be  a  man  wholly  submitted  to  the  child. 
There  are  two  soul  qualifications  in  dealing  with  children: 
be  Christ's,  be  the  child's — absolutely  his,  absolutely 
devoted  to  the  child.  And  if  you  will  find  me  the  Sunday- 
school  teacher,  the  father, — I  never  lecture  mothers, — that 
is  wholly  Christ's  and  wholly  the  child's,  then  I  will  find  you 
a  worker,  an  apostle,  a  co-worker  with  Christ,  who  will  lead 
the  little  ones  to  him. 

And,  of  course,  there  is  the  third  and  widest  Hne  of 
application  here.  Jesus  shows  the  little  child  at  the  center, 
and  he  shows  that  he  claims  the  child  for  himself,  and 
so  the  whole  kingdom  for  himself.  If  I  would  serve  the 
world,  I  will  start  out  with  the  child  again,  for  the  passion 

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Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

and  compassion  that  would  compel  me  to  the  service  of  the 
child  would  drive  me  out  to  all  the  regions  beyond. 

Does  not  this,  after  all,  bring  us  back  in  sacred  and  holy 
fellowship  to  the  Christ  himself?  May  I  not  quite  rever- 
ently say  he  is  the  eternal  Child  ?  It  is  no  more  impossible 
to  think  of  an  eternal  Son  than  to  think  of  an  eternal  Father, 
and  Christ  himself  is  child  in  the  mystery  of  deity — first- 
born of  all  creation,  firstborn  from  among  the  dead,  all 
fulness  dwelling  in  him — God's  Child.  It  seems  to  me 
I  can  forevermore  hear  the  infinite  voice  of  God  saying  of 
Christ,  "Thou  art  my  beloved  Son  in  whom  I  am  well 
pleased."  For  me  increasingly  the  call  of  the  child  is  the 
call  of  the  ascended  Christ  to  my  heart.  And  to  love  the 
little  one  and  to  care  for  the  little  one,  and  bring  the  little 
one  into  harmony  with  God  is  to  serve  God's  child  as 
I  cannot  in  any  other  way. 

May  God  give  us,  my  brethren  and  sisters,  when  this 
Convention  is  over,  to  go  back  to  look  once  again  into  the 
faces  of  the  children  and  see  a  new  light  and  a  new  glory, 
and  hear  a  new  appeal  for  Christ's  sake. 


Quiet  Half -Hour 

Led  by  the  Rev.  F.  B.  Meyer,  B.  A. 

So  when  they  had  dined,  Jesus  saith  to  Simon  Peter, 
Simon,  son  oj  Jonas,  lovest  thou  me  more  than  these?  He 
saith  unto  him.  Yea,  Lord;  thou  knowest  that  I  love  thee. 
He  saith  unto  him,  Feed  my  lambs.  He  saith  to  him  again 
the  second  time,  Simon,  son  of  Jonas,  lovest  thou  me?  He 
saith  unto  him.  Yea,  Lord;  thou  knowest  that  I  love  thee. 
He  saith  unto  him.  Feed  my  sheep.  He  saith  unto  him  the 
third  time,  Simon,  son  oj  Jonas,  lovest  thou  me?  Peter  was 
grieved  because  he  saith  unto  him  the  third  time,  Lovest  thou 
uie?  And  he  said  unto  him.  Lord,  thou  knowest  all  things; 
thou  knowest  that  I  love  thee.  Jesus  saith  unto  him.  Feed 
my  sheep. — John  21:  15—17. 

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A  Half-Hour  with  F.  B.  Meyer 

There  are  three  words  in  the  Greek  that  stand  for  love — 
eros,  the  love  of  passion;  phile,  standing  for  human  bonds 
of  friendship;  agape,  not  found  in  classical  Greek,  but 
profusely  found  in  the  Bible,  meaning  the  highest  love,  the 
Divine  love.  Neither  eras  or  phile  can  express  the  higher 
love. 

Let  us  take  the  group  known  as  the  Boanerges  group, 
looking  at  Mark  3: 16,  17.  These  men  were  the  Boanergic 
men, — men  of  strength  and  passion.  There  is  nothing  so 
necessary  as  passion.  The  intense  nature  is  what  sets  the 
world  aglow.  It  needs  to  be  refined  as  Jesus  refined  it.  As 
we  read  Luke  9:54,  we  see  how  passionate  James  and  John 
were.  One  of  them  who  asked  for  fire  to  come  down  from 
heaven  and  destroy  the  Samaritan  villages,  joined  with 
Peter  at  Pentecost  in  asking  for  another  fire. 

Our  Lord,  in  the  passage  which  we  are  studying  this 
morning,  makes  an  effort  to  raise  Peter's  love  to  the  loftiest 
love.  Jesus  wants  the  very  best  for  every  one  of  us.  If 
we  have  not  used  the  best  that  he  wishes  for  us,  then  let  us 
use  the  best  that  we  have,  as  Peter  does  here  in  offering  to 
Jesus  the  lower  love  because  he  has  not  yet  risen  to  the 
higher. 

I  want  you  to  notice  that  this  Boanergic  man  had  learned 
the  deep  lesson  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  had  had  grafted 
upon  his  passionate  nature  the  pure  and  holy  nature  of  the 
Divine  Being,  which  he  tells  us  is  love.  And  as  this  hap- 
pened to  him,  my  dear  friends,  it  may  happen  to  you  and 
to  me,  and  there  is  great  need  that  it  should.  I  pray  God 
that  you  may  be  ambitious  to  sit  upon  the  right  hand  and 
upon  the  left  in  his  kingdom.  They  found  fault  with  these 
men  for  wishing  to,  but  Jesus  Christ  said,  "It  shall  be 
given  to  those  for  whom  it  is  prepared."  And  can  you 
wonder  that  James,  who  swept  up  in  a  chariot  of  martyrdom 
sat  upon  his  side,  and  that  John,  who  waited  for  the  second 
advent,  sat  there  upon  his  side,  and  that  these  two  men, 
with  their  intense  nature,  their  Boanergic  nature,  were  thus 

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enabled  to  sit  in  close  proximity  to  the  Son  of  God,  because 
their  characters  are  approximated  to  his.  I  crave  for  you, 
my  friends,  that  you  shall  sit  right  and  left,  not  because  of 
the  dignity  or  honor  that  it  may  confer  upon  you,  but 
because  the  kingdom  means  power  over  other^men;  because 
the  throne  is  lifted  above  the  floor,  and  gives  lifting  power 
to  those  who  sit  with  Christ  there. 

Now,  observe,  he  says  in  this  first  Epistle  of  John,  4:7, 
"Beloved,  let  us  love  one  another,  for  love  is  of  God,  and 
every  one  that  loveth  is  born  of  God,  and  knoweth  God." 
And  then  he  says  a  little  lower,  in  the  nth  verse,  "Beloved, 
if  God  so  loved  us,  we  also  ought  to  love  one  another." 
And  the  point,  my  friends,  is  in  the  word  "ought."  "You 
ought."  The  word  all  through  the  passage  is  the  agape, 
and  the  Apostle  says,  "You  ought  to  have  this  loftier  love. 
You  ought  not  to  be  content  to  live  upon  the  lower  level, 
though  even  that  may  be  enough  to  satisfy  you.  You 
ought."  I  like  the  imperative.  I  like  that  God  should  put 
his  demand  upon  our  nature,  and  that  he  should  say, 
You  ought  to  have  the  best.  And  there  is  no  doubt  that 
to  every  person  in  this  place  there  comes  that  "ought" 
to-day.  You  ought  not  to  be  satisfied  with  the  lower  level. 
You  ought  to  ask  from  God  the  grafting  in  upon  your 
nature  of  the  Divine. 

Now,  I  think  as  Christian  people  we  have  exaggerated 
the  idea  of  growth.  We  all  say  that  growth  of  God's  nature, 
which  has  been  sown  by  regeneration  in  our  hearts,  will 
ultimately  achieve  the  best  results  in  us.  But  it  is  quite 
right  to  say  that  the  elm  will  always  be  an  elm,  and  the  oak 
will  always  remain  an  oak.  But  you  must  remember  that 
growth  does  not  express  entirely  the  result  which  may  be 
achieved  in  your  character  and  mine,  because  we  are  not 
plants — we  are  moral  beings,  to  whom  God  makes  an  appeal 
when  he  says,  "ought."  And  even  when  you  take  the  idea 
of  growth,  you  must  remember,  of  course,  that  the  apple  is 
the  apple  that  is  so  luscious  and  refreshing  because  of  the 
*  72 


A  Half-Hour  with  F.  B.  Meyer 

culture  which  has  been  brought  to  bear  upon  the  bitter  crab, 
and  if  that  culture  were  for  a  moment  discontinued,  the 
crab  would  again  return.  That  the  rose  is  what  it  is  because 
culture  has  produced  it  from  the  dog  rose,  and  if  once 
culture  were  to  cease  to  operate,  it  would  degenerate  to  the 
commonest  species,  and  that,  therefore,  though  you  speak 
of  growth  of  what  God  has  planted,  it  demands  from  you 
the  most  careful  culture,  or  even  the  good  thing  in  you  may 
deteriorate.  "Ought."  It  is  God's  imperative.  You 
ought  to  be  your  best.  You  ought  to  be  the  best  that  God 
can  make  you. 

And  I  want  to  remind  you  here  (and  all  these  thoughts 
crowd  in  upon  us  in  this  great  city),  I  want  to  remind  you 
of  a  story  which  is  well  authenticated,  and  which  comes 
down  to  us  from  the  third  century. 

After  Valerian,  the  Emperor,  had  promulgated  the 
second  attack  against  Christianity,  there  was  taken  at 
Athens  a  prisoner  named  Sulpicius,  who  was  brought  before 
the  tribunal. 

"What  is  your  name?" 

"Sulpicius." 

"What  is  your  family?" 

"I  am  a  Christian." 

*'Are  you  priest,  or  layman?" 

"A  Presbyter." 

"You  understand  that  by  command  of  the  Emperor 
Valerian,  all  Christians  must  sacrifice  to  the  holy  and 
immortal  gods,  or  they  will  be  cruelly  tortured  and  put  to 
a  cruel  death?" 

Sulpicius  said,  "We  Christians  have  a  King,  even  Christ. 
He  is  the  Creator  of  heaven  and  of  earth  and  the  sea  and 
all  that  is  therein.  We  may  not,  therefore,  worship  the 
heathen  gods,  which  are  demons." 

He  was  dragged  from  the  tribunal  and  cruelly  tortured, 
and  Sulpicius  bore  the  torture  with  unflinching  courage. 
He  was  led  away  to  be  beheaded.     And  on  his  way  to  be 

73 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

decapitated,  a  fellow  Presbyter,  Nicephorus  came  up  to 
him.  There  had  been  a  difference  between  these  two  men, 
and  Nicephorus  was  most  eager  to  ask  forgiveness  and  be 
reconciled  before  his  brother  died,  and  falling  before  him 
he  said,  "Oh,  martyr  of  Christ,  I  beseech  thee  that  thou 
wilt  forgive  me,  who  art  about  to  die."  But  Sulpicius 
maintained  a  cold  reserve,  and  allowed  his  brother  to  seek 
forgiveness  in  vain.  And  a  second  time  on  their  way  to  the 
scene  of  execution  Nicephorus  made  the  same  entreaty, 
and  the  pagan  guard  said,  "Why  do  you  grovel  before  this 
fool  who  is  going  to  throw  away  his  hfe?"  "Nay,"  said 
the  other,  "I  cannot  let  him  die  until  we  are  reconciled." 
But  Sulpicius  still  maintained  his  reserve,  and  once  more, 
when  they  reached  the  scene  of  execution,  Sulpicius  refused 
to  forgive  Nicephorus,  and  then  a  most  extraordinary 
thing  happened.  The  man  who  had  stood  w^ith  indomitable 
courage  before  the  torturers,  and  had  so  nearly  won  the 
crown  of  glory,  turned  pale,  and  when  the  executioner  said, 
"Kneel  down,  that  I  may  behead  thee,"  he  said,  "Why 
should  I  kneel  down?"  "Why,"  was  the  reply,  "because 
thou  wilt  not  sacrifice  to  the  gods."  "But,"  said  Sulpicius, 
"I  will."  Then  Nicephorus  rushed  to  the  front  and 
entreated  him  to  forgive  him  and  so  get  grace,  but  he  refused, 
and  ultimately  Sulpicius  retracted,  and  said,  "I  will  sac- 
rifice to  the  gods  according  to  the  Emperor's  order.  Let 
me  go."  But  his  friend  Nicephorus  stepped  forward  and 
said,  "Let  me  die  in  his  place,"  and  Nicephorus  laid  down 
his  life  upon  that  same  block,  w^hile  Sulpicius  went  forth 
to  an  ignoble  life.  That  story  had  the  most  profound  effect 
upon  the  early  church.  God  gets  men  so  far  as  to  bear 
extreme  torture,  but  the  extreme  test  of  death,  unless  he  had 
received  from  the  life  of  God  the  supreme  love,  failed  him 
in  the  hour  of  trial.  It  was  the  other  who  had  drunk  of 
that  extreme  love  who  was  more  than  a  conqueror  through 
him  that  loved  him.     I  want  you  never  to  forget  it. 

Don't  say  I  love,  unless  you  can  say,  I  love  with  the  love 
74 


A  Half-Hour  with  F.  B.  Meyer 

of  God.  The  lower  love  may  carry  you  through  a  great 
deal,  even  torture  and  cruelty  but,  my  friend,  nothing  but 
the  supreme  love  which  emanates  from  the  nature  of  God 
can  ever  bear  you  and  me  through  the  stress  and  storm  of 
our  life. 

I  close  with  this.  Where  does  the  "ought"  come  in? 
If  you  came  across  the  Plain  of  Lombardy  the  other  day 
(it  Hes  between  the  Apennines  and  the  Alps),  you  must  have 
noticed  how  rich  it  is  in  cultivation  and  verdure — not  that 
it  has  any  great  rivers  in  it,  but  it  has  been  so  carefully 
irrigated  by  canals.  There  is  nothing  like  God's  love 
except  in  God,  and  if  you  and  I  are  to  be  irrigating  canals 
in  the  Sahara  of  the  world,  we  must  bring  our  nature  into 
open  union  with  the  sluice  gates,  with  the  Divine  nature. 
You  will  never  get  the  love  in  any  other  way.  Love  is  of 
God.  Love  gushes  from  God.  The  mother,  the  patriot, 
and  the  socialist  may  love,  but  they  do  not  love  with  the 
supreme  love.  It  is  of  God.  And  the  supreme  thing  for 
every  one  of  us  moral  beings  is  to  open  the  sluice  gates  of 
our  faith  to  the  very  heart  of  the  Eternal,  and  to  keep  those 
sluice  gates  open,  saying,  "I  can't,  but  thou  canst.  My 
love  fails  here,  but  thine  immortal,  eternal  love,  the  love 
of  the  cross, — that  shall  be  victorious  over  all." 

Keep  those  gates  open,  and  direct  the  flow  of  this  love 
to  the  man  w^ho  does  not  love  you.  Look  for  the  man 
who  doesn't  love  you;  look  for  the  man  who  is  an  irritant 
to  you,  whose  nature  is  out  of  tune  with  yours,  and  direct 
the  flow  of  God's  love  against  the  solid  barrier  of  his 
nature,  until  perhaps  it  disintegrates,  it  breaks  down, 
and  then  you  are  Hfted  into  union  with  God  and  have 
received  into  your  nature  something  which  is  not  human, 
but  Divine,  but  which  elevates  and  beautifies  and  ennobles 
the  one  who  shall  be  able  to  know  God.  Oh,  that  wonderful 
thought,  ''He  that  loves,  knows  God,"  not  by  reasoning, 
but  by  intuition,  as  Abraham  when  he  stood  by  the  altar  and 
was  about  to  sacrifice  Isaac,  became  the  friend  of  God. 

75 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

He  knew  God.  All  Paul's  reasoning  could  not  have  made 
Abraham  know  God  better.  He  knew  God  by  the  absolute 
sympathy  of  a  kindred  nature  and  a  kindred  act.  And  you, 
when  you  sacrifice  your  dearest  self  at  the  call  of  the  love 
and  nature  of  God,  can  look  God  in  the  face  and  exchange 
glances  with  him,  for  God  and  you  have  passed  through 
the  same  experience,  and  yours  is  the  knowledge  of  a  kin- 
dred nature  and  sympathy. 


The  Sunday-School  Exposition 

By  the  Rev.  Dr.  C.  R.  Blackall,  Director  of  the  Exposition 

The  Exposition  was  organized  and  conducted  upon 
strictly  altruistic  lines,  as  set  forth  in  every  circular  announce- 
ment, as  follows: 

"There  is  not  any  commercialism  whatever  in  this 
Exposition.  No  contributor,  either  of  merchandise  or  of 
money,  will  receive  in  return  any  pecuniary  or  commercial 
advantage,  directly  or  indirectly;  the  reward  will  come  in 
the  consciousness  of  a  great  and  lasting  good  accomplished 
in  the  upHft  and  culture  of  God's  needy  and  faithful  co- 
workers with  him.  There  will  not  be  any  mere  advertising 
feature,  nor  any  exploitation  of  individual  agencies,  however 
excellent  the  latter  may  be.  The  single  aim  will  be  honestly 
maintained,  to  set  forth  in  the  most  practical  and  winsome 
manner  the  various  methods  in  operation  whereby  the 
world's  great  work  of  evangelization  is  being  carried  forward 
largely  through  Sunday-school  effort.  At  the  close  of  the 
Convention,  the  material  shown  will  be  distributed  to  all 
parts  of  the  world  by  a  special  commission  appointed  for 
that  purpose." 

The  generous  response  to  the  appeals  made  was  to  the 
last  degree  cordial  and  ample,  not  only  from  pubhshers  and 
dealers  in  Sunday-school  supplies,  State  and  Provincial 
secretaries,  and  individual  schools,  but  also  from  the  numer- 
ous  Foreign    Mission    fields  where    Sunday-school    effort 

76  . 


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A  Glimpse  of  the  Exhibit. 
How  benevolent  offerings  may  be  gathered. 


The  Exposition 

of  any  sort  is  being  maintained.  The  work  of  preparation 
occupied  about  six  months,  and  required  the  services  of 
five  persons  during  a  large  part  of  that  time.  The  gathering 
of  the  material  desired  was  done  wholly  by  correspondence, 
and  its  arrangement  was  entirely  under  the  direction  of 
Mrs.  Blackall,  the  aggregate  of  separate  pieces  shown  being 
over  seven  thousand  in  number.  For  the  most  part  this 
material  was  mounted  on  four  hundred  large  pasteboard 
cards.  Included  in  the  aggregate,  there  were  nine  hundred 
and  ninety-eight  bound  volumes  and  booklets;  one  hundred 
and  six  maps,  charts,  diagrams,  posters,  picture  and  wall 
rolls;  and  one  hundred  and  fifty- four  pieces  of  manual 
w^ork  contributed  by  eleven  schools. 

The  exhibits  were  classified  into  sixteen  departments, 
each  indicated  in  three  languages:  English,  French,  and 
Italian.  A  logical  order  was  followed,  with  consecutive 
numbering  to  correspond  with  the  handsome  printed  cata- 
logue made  possible  by  the  generosity  of  The  Edgell  Printing 
Company  of  Philadelphia.  Starting  with  the  tw^o  Inter- 
national Associations,  twenty-two  State  and  Provincial 
Associations  followed,  which  were  succeeded  by  three 
County  Associations  and  the  Organized  Bible  Class  Union. 
Twenty-nine  individual  schools  came  next,  followed  by 
collection  and  advertising  methods,  certificates,  diplomas, 
and  records. 

Sunday-school  and  Missionary  maps  had  a  large  place, 
and  these  were  follow^ed  by  specimen  pages  of  the  Bible 
in  all  languages  and  dialects,  and  these  again  by  Bible 
training  schools  and  colleges.  Four  hundred  and  thirty- 
five  specimens  of  music  publications,  these  subclassified, 
and  representing  an  output  of  over  nine  millions  of  copies 
during  1906,  were  followed  by  books  for  teachers,  number- 
ing five  hundred  and  sixty-three  copies.  Sunday-school 
periodicals  were  shown  from  all  countries  the  w^orld  over, 
and  in  many  languages,  representing  a  gross  output 
of  more  than  four  hundred  and  fifty  millions  of  copies 

77 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

during  1906.  Temperance  and  Missions  each  made  a 
fine  showing,  the  latter  being  classified  mainly  by  pub- 
lishing societies.  Related  organizations,  chiefly  evan- 
gelistic, came  next,  and  General  Sunday-school  Organiza- 
tions closed  the  list.  A  classified  directory  of  publishers 
and  Foreign  Mission  organizations  occupied  the  latter  part 
of  the  catalogue.  Prior  to  the  opening  of  the  Convention 
two  private  views  of  the  Exposition  were  given,  one  to  the 
press  representatives  in  Rome,  and  the  other  to  pastors  and 
other  workers  in  Rome.  The  number  of  visitors  was 
large,  and  the  interest  manifested  was  all  that  could  be 
desired. 

The  work  of  distribution  was  done  under  the  personal 
direction  of  the  Assistant  Director,  Mr.  Allan  Sutherland, 
of  Philadelphia,  and  was  complete  in  every  detail.  The 
record  shows  clearly  where  every  piece  went,  and  to  whom, 
as  follows:  Africa,  Austria,  Azores,  Bulgaria,  Canada, 
China,  Denmark,  Egypt,  England,  Germany,  Honolulu, 
Hungary,  India,  Italy,  Japan,  Korea,  Norway,  Palestine, 
Portugal,  Scotland,  Sweden,  Switzerland,  Turkey.  The 
manual  work  went  to  China,  Honolulu,  India,  Japan,  and 
Korea. 

The  Exposition  had  place  in  three  large  rooms  in  the 
Methodist  Mission,  partitions  having  been  removed  in  order 
to  gain  clear  space.  The  local  arrangements  were  in 
charge  of  Mr.  Ernesto  Peter,  as  Resident  Manager,  who 
proved  himself  exceedingly  competent  and  efficient.  Eight 
"Escorts"  were  on  duty  to  explain  the  exhibits.  In  every 
respect  the  Exposition  may  be  counted  a  great  success. 

Its  material  will  be  used  especially  in  the  formation  of 
Sunday-school  Expositions  in  India,  Japan,  Korea,  Pales- 
tine, Honolulu,  England,  and  Scotland.  The  individual 
gifts  will  materially  aid  Sunday-school  workers  in  all  the 
countries  represented  at  the  Convention.  Its  present  and 
future  sphere  of  influence  may  justly  be  claimed  as  world- 
wide. 

78 


Paul  in  Rome 
The  Footsteps  of  Paul  in  Rome 

Bv  THE  Rf.v.  Dr.  J.  Gordon  Gray 

Two  distinct  points  in  St.  Paul's  journey  ''towards 
Rome"  have  become  very  familiar  to  all  of  us  through  the 
record  of  St.  Luke,  one  of  his  companions  on  the  way.  At 
both  of  them  his  heart  had  been  cheered  by  brethren  coming 
out  to  meet  him,  so  much  so  that  he  "thanked  God  and 
took  courage."  As  to  the  exact  site  of  one  of  these,  Appii 
Forum,  there  has  never  been  any  difference  of  opinion.  So 
eager  were  some  of  the  brethren  to  meet  with  their  beloved 
Apostle  that  they  went  forty-three  miles  along  the  Appian 
Way  for  this  purpose.  Why  they  did  not  go  even  farther 
is  apparent  to  any  one  who  has  stood  on  the  spot.  There 
ends  the  canal  that  was  made  in  the  time  of  Augustus  to 
drain  the  Pontine  Marshes.  Probably  there  was  uncertainty 
whether  Julius  and  his  company  would  come  by  water  or 
by  road.  The  "Three  Taverns,"  where  the  second  band 
of  brethren  appeared,  is  a  disputed  site :  the  more  influential 
authorities  place  it  one  stage  nearer  the  city,  but  still  on  the 
other  side  of  the  Alban  Slope.  Others  bring  it  as  near  as 
the  foot  of  that  slope  and  in  full  view  of  Rome.  Between 
Appii  Forum  and  Rome  a  night  must  have  been  spent  at 
one  or  other  of  the  towns  in  the  route,  most  probably  at 
Ariccia,  where  many  of  the  Jews,  expelled  by  the  edict  of 
Claudius,  had  taken  refuge  and  perhaps  still  lingered.  In 
the  early  morning  that  mixed  company  of  prisoners  and 
soldiers,  under  the  charge  of  Julius,  might  have  been  seen 
passing  along  from  Ariccia  to  Albano  in  the  very  line  of  the 
principal  street  of  the  modern  town,  until  the  point  is 
reached  where  the  Way  turned  down  the  slope.  Straight 
as  the  arrow  to  its  mark,  the  road  stretched  out  before  them, 
lined  with  the  tombs  of  great  Romans.  The  city  with  its 
million  and  a  half  inhabitants  could  be  distinctly  seen. 
From  that  point  to-day  the  chief  object  is  the  cupola  of 
St.  Peter's;  then  probably  what  stood  out  most  were  the 

79 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

buildings  on  the  Capitol  and  the  Palatine;  on  the  one,  the 
Temple  of  Jupiter  and  the  citadel;  on  the  other,  the  Houses 
of  Augustus,  Tiberius  and  Caligula,  forming  together, 
Caesar's  Palace.  During  that  memorable  march  from  the 
slope  into  the  city,  the  Apostle  must  have  been  struck  with 
the  splendidly  paved  road,  broad  enough  for  two  chariots 
abreast,  with  its  regularly  laid  out  side-ways  for  foot  pas- 
sengers and  the  tombs  all  along  it.  Beyond  the  tombs 
there  could  be  seen  every  now  and  then  important  villas 
spreading  themselves  out  on  those  flat  and  sparsely  cultivated 
fields  of  the  great  Campagna.  Beyond  those  villas  again, 
line  upon  line  of  great  aqueducts  must  have  met  his  view, 
all  converging  to  the  city  and  making  it  a  place  of  fountains. 
The  Almo  stream  would  at  length  be  crossed  and  as  the 
columbaria  of  Caesar's  household  were  passed,  the  city 
wall  would  be  fully  in  sight.  Not  the  wall  which  you  see 
to-day,  built  more  than  two  centuries  later,  nor  the  gate 
now  known  to  us  as  the  Sebastian  Gate  of  that  third  century 
wall.  No  great  Baths  had  yet  come  to  fill  the  view  on  the 
left.  One  of  the  chief  objects  was  a  Temple  to  Mars, 
reminding  every  traveler  into  the  city  that  it  was  the  capital 
of  a  warlike  nation.  The  Porta  Capena  Gate  was  now  in 
front  of  them,  so  called  from  Capua  (one  of  the  chief  cities 
on  the  Appian  Way),  to-day  buried  near  a  very  rude  wine- 
cellar.  At  one  time  I  had  hoped  that  the  very  gateway 
by  which  St.  Paul  entered  the  city  might  have  been  brought 
to  the  light,  so  that  the  members  of  this  Congress  might  have 
walked  through  it,  literally  following  in  the  footsteps  of 
St.  Paul.  It  is  no  rash  prediction  to  which  I  give  utterance, 
when  I  say  that  it  will  be  ready  against  the  next  World's 
Sunday-school  Convention  in  Rome. 

And  now  that  we  have  St.  Paul  and  his  company  at  the 
gate,  we  must  settle  in  our  minds  what  turn  they  took  as 
they  passed  into  the  city.  So  long  after  the  event,  and  with 
so  little  to  guide  us,  it  may  seem  not  a  little  hazardous  to 
attempt  to  fix  the  actual  route,  and  yet  we  have  certain 

80 


Paul  in  Rome 

hints  that  have  come  down  to  us,  which  are  also  now  better 
understood  as  fixing  the  camp  to  which  Julius  conducted 
his  prisoners,  on  the  Coehan.  In  the  old  received  text  of 
the  28th  of  the  Acts  and  the  i6th  verse,  the  person  to  whom 
Julius  consigns  his  charge  is  called  ''the  captain  of  the 
guard."  That  used  to  be  taken  as  meaning  "the  captain 
of  the  Praetorian  guard.".  And  it  then  became  easy  for  us 
to  identify  him  with  the  celebrated  Burrhus,  who  was 
appointed  in  A.  D.  52,  on  the  recommendation  of  Agrippina, 
the  mother  of  Nero,  as  sole  prefect  of  the  Praetorian  guard. 
Nero  owed  his  elevation  to  the  throne  of  the  Caesars  to 
Burrhus'  influence.  Had  the  young  Emperor  followed  the 
advice  of  his  former  preceptor,  he  w^ould  have  been  saved 
from  two  of  his  worst  crimes,  in  causing  to  be  put  to  death 
first  his  mother  and  then  his  young  wife.  Though  estrange- 
ment had  begun  to  show  itself  between  the  Emperor  and 
his  powerful  minister  from  the  time  of  the  murder  of  Agrip- 
pina in  A.  D.  59,  a  year  before  the  Apostle's  arrival  in 
Rome,  it  was  not  such  as  to  remove  him  from  his  high 
position  next  to  that  of  the  Emperor.  There  was  always 
something  unsatisfactory  to  me  in  bringing  in  so  important 
a  personage  as  Burrhus  to  receive  the  prisoners  consigned 
by  JuHus,  even  though  it  was  possible  to  suppose  that  it  was 
only  some  representative  of  his  that  was  present  on  the 
occasion.  New  light  has  come  to  us  through  Mommsen's 
interpretation,  in  which  he  is  supported  by  Sir  William  Ram- 
say, of  the  term  "captain  of  the  guard"  as  meaning  according 
to  an  old  Latin  version  of  the  passage  princeps  peregrino- 
rum,  chief  of  the  Foreign  Corps.  It  is  a  well-known  fact 
that  on  the  Coelian  hill  there  was  in  those  days  a  camp 
called  Castra  Peregrinorum.  The  peregrini  Were  the  men 
of  the  Roman  legions  stationed  in  the  provinces  of  the 
Empire,  who  appear  to  have  "acted  not  only  for  commis- 
sariat purposes  but  as  couriers  and  police  in  charge  of 
prisoners."  Julius,  as  a  centurion  that  had  been  serving 
in  the  provinces,  was  an  officer  of  that  Corps  and  his  chief 
6  81 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

would  be  no  other  than  the  princeps  peregrinorum,  the 
commander  of  the  Coelian  Camp.  On  passing  through 
the  Porta  Capena  he  would  most  naturally  lead  his  prisoners, 
St.  Paul  among  them,  to  this  camp  adjoining  the  Gate. 
The  consignment  would  take  very  little  time  as  the  letter  of 
Festus,  describing  St.  Paul's  case,  must  have  been  lost  in 
the  Bay  of  Malta,  when  everything  perished  in  the  wreck 
save  the  souls  that  were  given  to  the  Apostle.  It  must  have 
fallen  to  Julius  to  say  that  here  was  "  a  Roman  citizen,  who 
had  appealed  to  Caesar."  That  would  be  quite  enough  to 
settle  what  was  to  be  done  with  him.  He  was  detained  as 
a  prisoner,  at  his  own  expense,  enjoying  a  large  amount  of 
liberty  under  military  guard,  until  his  accusers  could  J)e 
brought  face  to  face  with  him  before  the  Imperial  Tribunal. 
From  the  first  there  could  have  been  no  question  of  shutting 
him  up  in  a  prison.  Very  naturally,  a  "  guest-house"  was 
at  once  provided.  Brief  as  St.  Luke's  references  are  to  the 
sojourn  in  Rome,  he  makes  it  clear  that  St.  Paul  did  not  at 
once  settle  down  in  "  his  own  hired  dwelling."  For  a  few 
days  at  least  he  was  in  "a  lodging,"  Acts  28:23.  It  is  not 
unlikely  that  he  became  at  once  the  guest  of  one  of  the 
disciples  always,  of  course,  under  the  restraint  of  his  guard, 
one  of  the  same  Corps,  in  all  likelihood,  to  which  Julius 
belonged.  There  had  been  ample  time  to  arrange  this  from 
the  time  that  brethren  had  met  him  at  Appii  Forum  or  even 
the  Three  Taverns.  For  such  an  one  as  St.  Paul  there 
would  have  been  no  difficulty  in  finding  a  worthy  host 
among  them.  There  might  have  been  difficulty  only 
in  deciding  who  was  to  have  that  honor. 

In  that  "  guest-house"  he  received  the  chief  men  among 
his  own  countrymen  and  later,  by  appointment,  a  much 
greater  number  (TZAscouer).  In  speaking  of  the  Jewish 
quarter  of  that  time  a  mistake  is  frequently  made  as  to  its 
locality.  Their  chief  settlement  was  on  the  further  side  of 
the  Tiber,  near  the  harbor  and  around  the  old  Portese  Gate. 
Other  colonies  of  Jews  were  outside  the  Capena  Gate,  near 

8? 


Paul  in  Rome 

to  the  sacred  grove  of  Egeria,  and  also  in  the  Campus 
Martius  and  the  Suburra.  These  facts  are  of  importance, 
because  the  site  chosen  by  St.  Paul  for  his  hired  house  is 
supposed  to  have  been  made  by  him  dependent  on  its 
proximity  to  the  Jewish  quarter.  It  is  forgotten  that,  when 
he  had  discharged  his  responsibility  to  them  in  the  first 
days  of  his  sojourn  in  Rome  he  held  himself  perfectly  free 
to  turn  to  the  Gentiles.  I  believe  that  when  he  came  to 
decide  where  he  had  best  settle  in  the  city  while  he  w^as 
waiting  his  trial,  he  was  influenced  by  considerations  alto- 
gether different,  such  as  available  accommodations  on 
moderate  terms,  proximity  to  the  many  friends  and  fellow- 
workers  whom  he  already  had,  and  more  than  all,  centrality 
of  position  as  regards  the  Gentile  population.  The  actual 
site  of  the  hired  house  is  one  that  naturally  interests  Christian 
visitors  to  Rome  more  than  any  other  and  yet  I  feel  bound 
to  say  that  there  is  no  sure  evidence  as  to  its  locality.  Pro- 
fessor Lanciani,  in  his  "New  Tales  of  Old  Rome"  sets  aside 
with  equal  summariness  the  two  sites  on  or  near  which  the 
hired  house  is  supposed  to  have  stood.  The  ruins  under  the 
Church  of  S.  ]\Iaria  in  Via  Lata  on  the  Corso  belong  not 
to  a  private  dwelling  but  to  a  great  public  edifice,  called 
the  Septa  Julia,  one  of  the  architectural  masterpieces  of 
Agrippa,  extending  from  Piazza  Venezia  to  Piazza  Sciarra. 
He  adds  that  "it  is  impossible  to  believe  that  a  private 
citizen  could  have  lived  in  the  Septa  Julia."  In  this  opinion 
Professor  Marucchi  of  the  Propaganda  College  agrees, 
writing  in  his  "  Memorials  of  the  Apostles  "  that  the  actual 
spot  little  favors  the  legend. 

The  other  site,  under  or  near  the  Church  of  S.  Paolina  alia 
Regola,  is  less  unlikely  from  the  fact  that  a  double  tradition 
unites  in  placing  the  Scola  of  St.  Paul  in  that  neighborhood, 
of  which  there  is  a  trace  in  the  name  of  the  church.  The 
Jewish  synagogue  supports  the  tradition  of  the  Roman 
Church.  The  house  over  against  the  church  and  in  the 
Via  degli   Strengari   is  not  accepted    bv   archeologists  as 

83 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

a  first-century  house  and  must  thus  be  set  aside.  When 
that  section  of  the  city  comes  to  be  reconstructed,  more 
hght  as  to  the  true  site  may  reach  us.  At  present  we  must 
content  ourselves  with  the  belief  that  thus  far  it  cannot  be 
traced. 

One  thing  is  certain, — that  it  was  "  hired."  That  means 
that  it  could  hardly  have  been  the  house  of  any  well-to-do 
disciple,  but  might  have  been  that  of  a  sympathizer,  who 
was  more  or  less  dependent  on  its  hire.  To  lease  such 
a  dwelling  as  could  give  accommodation  for  himself,  for 
several  of  his  companions  in  labor  and  also  for  his  guard, 
with  facilities  for  considerable  gatherings  throughout  "  two 
years,"  implies  no  small  means  at  his  disposal.  How  came 
he  by  such  resources?  Professor  Ramsay  supposes  that  St. 
Paul's  father  had  by  this  time  died  in  Tarsus,  that  he 
himself  had  realized  his  patrimony.  No  longer  do  we  hear 
of  him  working  with  his  hands  as  in  his  earlier  experiences. 
If  we  had  not  distinct  allusions  in  the  Phihppian  epistle  to 
the  generosity  of  the  brethren  of  that  early  Church  we 
might  feel  the  need  of  having  recourse  to  such  an  explanation. 
His  own  testimony  is  clear  enough  as  to  one  main  source 
of  his  supplies,  "I  am  full,  having  received  of  Epaphroditus 
the  things  which  were  sent  from  you,  an  odor  of  a  sweet 
smell,  a  sacrifice  acceptable,  well-pleasing  to  God."  Nor 
can  we  exclude  from  our  estimate  of  his  financial  position 
the  gifts  and  offerings  of  the  Roman  brethren,  among  whom 
there  were  Pudens  the  Senator,  as  well  as  the  wife  of  Aulus 
Plautius,  a  Roman  General,  the  saints  of  Caesar's  household, 
as  well  as  those  of  the  household  of  Aristobulus  and  Nar- 
cissus. When  the  house  was  first  hired,  there  could  have 
been  no  anticipation  that  his  trial  would  be  so  long  delayed. 
As  time  passed,  the  sympathy  of  the  brethren  in  the  city, 
as  well  as  that  of  the  more  distant  churches,  would  be  called 
forth.  In  this  way  there  would  be  no  lack  of  the  means 
necessary  for  his  daily  support. 

As  we  have  no  data  given  us  for  fixing  the  site  of  this 

84 


The  Servian  Wall  at  the  Porta  Capena  Gate. 


Paul  in  Rome 

celebrated  house  we  have  none  as  to  its  probable  internal 
arrangements.  Only  in  the  less  crowded  parts  of  the  city 
could  the  usual  construction  of  a  Roman  house  have  been 
adhered  to,  while  none  but  men  of  great  wealth  could  have 
procured  the  space  necessary  for  atrium,  peristyle,  and 
tablinum.  It  is  well  known  that  a  very  large  proportion 
of  the  Roman  populace  of  that  period  occupied  great  tene- 
ments with  one  common  court  for  all  and  many  stories,  one 
above  the  other.  If  the  Apostle  had  secured  a  portion  of 
one  of  the  older  type  of  houses,  w^e  can  conceive  of  him 
as  occupying  several  rooms  with  an  atrium  that  could  have 
accommodated  the  great  numbers  that  came  to  him.  Cer- 
tainly, it  was  his  largest  available  room  that  served  for  his 
"  preaching  and  teaching."  And  it  is  there  that  we  must 
see  him  surrounded  by  that  group  of  workers,  whose  names 
we  can  gather  from  his  epistles,  and  receiving  the  deputies 
from  the  churches  both  of  Greece  and  Asia. 

As  the  record  of  the  Acts  closes  we  get  a  wonderful 
glimpse  of  the  main  occupation  of  the  Apostle  throughout 
that  "biennium,"  as  the  historian  calls  it.  From  it  we 
gather  that  "the  kingdom  of  God"  and  "the  things  which 
concern  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ"  formed  the  great  subjects 
of  his  "  preaching"  and  "  teaching."  A  warm  welcome  was 
given  to  all  who  entered  that  dwelling.  There  was  a  con- 
fidence in  the  manner  of  the  preacher  that  impressed  itself 
on  all.  The  fact  with  which  St.  Luke  closes  his  record 
was  the  most  remarkable  of  all  that  could  be  told.  In  this 
center  of  Paganism,  with  a  Nero  on  the  throne  of  the  Caesars, 
for  "two  whole  years"  such  preaching  had  been  absolutely 
"without  let"  or  hindrance.  That  was  the  fitting  climax, 
in  St.  Luke's  view,  to  the  history  of  the  early  Christian 
Church,  which  a  Roman  official  like  Theophilus  would 
rejoice  to  hear,  especially  as  he  must  have  been  a  lover  of 
the  truth  which  could  win  such  a  triumph.  It  fell  in  best 
also  with  the  design  of  the  historian  in  tracing  the  progress 
of  the  Christian  faith  from  Jerusalem  to  Rome,  where  he 

8s 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

leaves  its  great  propagator  under  the  shadow  of  the  Imperial 
Palace  calm,  fearless,  and  "  unhindered."  Never  had  there 
been  on  the  part  of  the  Roman  authorities  the  slightest 
interference  with  him  nor  with  the  many  that  flocked  to 
hear  him. 

This  requires  us  to  place  the  period  of  his  occupancy  of 
the  hired  dwelling  as  near  as  possible  to  the  time  when 
Nero  was  under  the  influence  of  his  great  ministers  Seneca 
and  Burrhus.  The  most  probable  date  for  the  "  biennium" 
may  be  taken  as  from  60  to  62  A.  D.,  making  the  arrival 
of  the  Apostle  in  the  early  spring  of  60  and  the  writing  of 
the  Acts  two  years  thereafter,  in  A.D.  62.  The  summer  or 
autumn  of  that  same  year  becomes  the  most  probable  for 
the  trial  and  its  issue. 

Though  we  are  still  without  evidence  as  to  the  site  of  the 
hired  house,  we  are  not  so  entirely  without  a  trace  of  the 
natural  features  of  its  great  occupant.  The  bronze  medal- 
lion found  in  the  Domitilla  Catacomb,  and  now  in  the 
Vatican  Library,  is  supposed  by  De  Rossi  to  belong  to  the 
second  century  of  the  Christian  era,  and  to  be  certainly 
not  later  than  the  third.  On  it  we  have  preserved  to  us 
the  typical  portraits  of  both  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul.  All 
later  portraits  can  be  said  to  be  after  the  model  of  those  of 
the  medallion,  whether  on  wall  or  in  sculpture  or  mosaic  or 
engraving.  As  in  every  line  of  his  countenance  Peter 
appears  on  it  as  the  fisherman  of  Galilee,  with  strong,  well- 
marked  features,  in  the  vigor  of  health,  with  short  hair  and 
round  curly  beard,  so  Paul  is  the  man  of  deep  thought, 
wiry  in  form,  slightly  bald,  with  beard  long  and  pointed. 
The  expression  of  his  face  is  calm,  even  benevolent,  not 
without  a  touch  of  sadness.  His  countenance  has  an  air 
of  refinement,  which  is  by  no  means  belied  by  the  fact  of 
his  having  often  wrought  with  his  hands  to  minister  to  his 
necessities.  The  impression,  thus  taken  from  that  bronze 
plate,  enables  us  to  picture  him  as  he  taught  in  his  hired 
dwelling. 

86 


The  Traditional  House  of  St.  Paul  in  Rome. 


Paul  in  Rome 

From  his  own  pen  there  is  but  one  feature  of  his  outward 
man  at  the  time  that  has  come  down  to  us.  It  occurs  in 
that  choice  epistle  to  Philemon,  "being  such  a  one  as  Paul 
the  aged."  Though  the  Latin  versions  render  this  "  senex," 
we  need  not  take  it  as  equivalent  to  "the  old  man."  The 
probabilities  are  that  he  was  at  the  time  but  a  year  or  two 
over  sixty,  but  by  reason  of  the  many  hardships  of  the  past 
twenty-five  years  of  his  life  he  felt  himself  old.  Could  we 
have  seen  him  in  his  hired  room,  the  symptoms  of  growing 
infirmity  might  have  been  more  or  less  visible. 

Closely  linked  with  his  reference  to  advancing  age  comes 
the  mention  of  his  chain,  "and  now  a  prisoner  also  of  Jesus 
Christ."  In  the  letters  of  the  time  there  is  no  allusion  more 
frequent  than  that  to  his  bonds.  We  would  fain  persuade 
ourselves  that  there  must  have  been  intervals  when  he  had 
not  to  wear  it.  The  oft-recurring  expressions,  "  the  prisoner 
of  Jesus  Christ,"  "an  ambassador  in  bonds,"  and  "the  bonds 
of  the  gospel"  point  rather  to  his  having  worn  it  almost 
continually.  Though  his  disciples  were  much  concerned 
owing  to  his  liberty  being  thus  restricted,  he  rejoiced  rather 
in  that  it  had  "  fallen  out  unto  the  progress  of  the  gospel." 
The  very  fact  of  his  being  a  prisoner  under  appeal  to  Caesar 
gave  him  the  great  opportunity  of  his  life.  As  we  shall  see, 
never  had  he  been  privileged  to  have  such  an  audience  as 
when  he  spoke  in  the  great  Court  of  Appeal  in  his  defense. 

It  may  be  held,  therefore,  as  certain,  that  no  one  could 
enter  into  his  Roman  dwelling  without  being  reminded  that 
he  was  looking  on  a  prisoner  for  Christ's  sake.  Even  when 
"  the  chain"  itself  did  not  fall  under  the  visitor's  eyes,  the 
armor  of  the  guard  must  have  stood  out  conspicuous  in  the 
room,  "the  helmet,  the  breastplate,  the  girdle,  the  shield  and 
the  sword."  The  description  we  owe  to  himself,  and  the 
man  that  wore  them  was  a  soldier  of  the  foreign  legion,  not 
needing  to  be  changed  often,  but  always  with  him. 

As  to  the  companions  of  his  captivity  we  have  his  own 
personal  testimony  and  in  each  case  there  are  words  of 

87 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

praise  added.  To  Timothy  he  gives  the  chief  place,  naming 
him  in  three  out  of  the  four  epistles,  written  in  that  room, 
"his  brother"  or  Christ's  servant  equally  with  himself.  A 
beautiful  trait  in  the  character  of  the  Apostle  here  manifests 
itself  in  his  being  drawn  to  the  younger  men  about  him, 
finding  in  them  the  workers  of  the  future,  and  fully  trusting 
them.  Next  to  Timothy  can  be  seen  Luke,  ''the  beloved 
physician,"  a  Gentile  on  the  mother's  as  well  as  the  father's 
side,  his  companion  during  the  earlier  imprisonment  in 
Caesarea,  in  his  shipwreck,  and  on  his  way  to  Rome.  Not 
far  from  Luke,  Aristarchus  might  have  stood,  made  prisoner 
with  Gaius  on  the  occasion  of  the  great  uproar  in  Ephesus, 
afterwards  with  him  in  Jerusalem  and  on  his  journey  to 
Rome.  Epaphras  is  one  who  has  honorable  mention  given 
to  him,  "  a  minister  of  Christ "  and  the  messenger  of  the 
Colossian  Church.  Tychicus  appears  next  as  the  bearer  of 
three  of  the  epistles  out  of  the  four,  a  trusted  messenger, 
charged  also  with  reporting  all  those  personal  details  that 
would  be  so  eagerly  listened  to  by  the  brethren  in  the  East. 
In  evidence  of  the  full  trust  now  placed  in  Onesimus,  the 
slave  that  had  robbed  his  master  and  become  a  runaway  in 
the  great  city,  the  same  commission  is  given  to  him  as  to 
Tychicus,  ''about  making  known  all  things  that  were  being 
done  in  Rome."  What  a  proof  have  we  here  that  the 
experience  of  that  prisoner  was  the  chief  object  of  interest 
with  all  the  churches  in  the  East! 

That  gem  of  a  letter  to  Philemon  has  made  Onesimus 
almost  the  most  interesting  character  in  the  group  around 
the  Apostle.  Much  as  St.  Paul  would  have  liked  to  retain 
him  as  his  "  attendant,"  now  become  true  to  his  name,  he 
recognizes  the  claim  of  his  old  master.  In  the  great  capital 
where  slaves  far  outnumbered  their  masters  this  Apostle 
of  freedom  wrote  down  words  about  a  runaway  slave  that 
were  destined  to  break  down  forever  such  bondage,  "no 
longer  as  a  servant,  but  more  than  a  servant,  a  brother 
beloved."     The  bearer  of  the  Philippian  offerings,  Epa- 

88 


Paul  in  Rome 

phroditus,  still  lingered  near  to  him,  who  had  been  in  an 
agony  of  suspense  as  "  the  sickness  nigh  unto  death"  was  on 
him.  Strange  to  us  it  seems  that  the  wonderful  powers  of 
healing  with  which  St.  Paul  had  been  endowed  availed 
nothing  in  this  case.  Miracle  appears  to  have  had  no  place 
in  the  great  ministry  of  the  hired  dwelhng,  only  the  preaching 
of  the  gospel  of  the  kingdom  and  the  teaching  of  the  things 
concerning  the  Lord  Jesus.  All  the  precious  fruits  of  that 
wonderful  ''biennium"  were  reaped  through  prayer  and 
preaching.  Among  the  three  that  still  remain  to  be  pre- 
sented, there  is  one  whom  we  are  surprised  to  find  in  that 
company,  Marcus  the  cousin  of  Barnabas.  Ten  years 
before  he  had  been  the  cause  of  sharp  contention  between 
Paul  and  Barnabas,  because  he  had  proved  himself  narrow 
in  his  views  and  lacking  in  devotion  at  a  critical  period  of 
service.  All  that  had  been  lost  sight  of  now  and  Mark  was 
there,  a  link  between  St.  Paul  and  St.  Peter,  and  useful  for 
ministering.  If  he  had  not  already  written  his  gospel, 
though  it  is  probable  it  may  have  already  passed  into  cur- 
rency in  the  Eastern  Church  with  the  distinct  impress  of 
St.  Peter  upon  it,  he  was  able  to  reproduce  the  experience 
of  that  great  eye-witness,  of  the  Lord.  Jesus  called  Justus, 
though  less  known  than  any  of  the  others,  is  most  honorably 
mentioned  as  being  a  fellow-worker  unto  the  Kingdom  of 
God  and  a  comfort  to  the  Apostle,  sharing  with  Mark  the 
distinction  of  being  the  representative  of  the  Hebrew  or 
Jewish  element  in  the  company.  Demas,  the  last  of  the 
ten,  appears  in  a  favorable  light  at  this  time,  bracketed  with 
the  beloved  physician  as  "  a  fellow- worker." 

Of  the  four  epistles  which  were  penned  in  the  hired  house, 
we  take  that  to  the  Philippians  to  have  been  the  last.  More 
than  any  of  them  it  throws  light  on  his  experiences  during 
^'ihe  two  years"  and  contains  hints  that  bring  us  near  to  the 
issue  of  his  trial.  To  the  tender  interest  of  those  brethren 
at  Philippi  in  the  Apostle's  captivity  we  owe  almost  all  the 
light  we  have  on  what  was  happening  to  him  in  Rome. 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

There  is  a  distinctly  confidential  note  sounded  here  and 
there  in  that  epistle.  What  he  appears  to  be  most  anxious 
that  they  should  know,  was  that  "the  things  which  hap- 
pened unto  him  had  fallen  out  rather  unto  the  progress  of 
the  gospel."  It  is  to  his  beloved  PhiHppians  that  he  writes 
of  the  marvelous  effect  of  his  testimony  in  the  highest  circles 
in  the  city — "My  bonds  became  manifest  in  Christ  through- 
out the  whole  Praetorium  and  to  all  the  rest."  The  marginal 
reading  of  the  old  English  text  "Caesar's  Court,"  or  of  the 
modern  Revised  version  ''the  Praetorium"  I  take  to  be  the 
true  one.  This  is  no  other  than  the  sense  given  to  it  by 
Tyndale,  Cramner,  and  the  Geneva  version,  "the  judgment- 
hall."  This  meaning  also  best  accords  with  the  usage  of 
"  Praetorium  "  in  the  Gospels.  So  well-known  had  it  become 
as  the  equivalent  of  the  official  residence  of  the  governor, 
that  the  three  evangeHsts  of  Jewish  birth  use  it  when  they 
are  describing  the  scene  of  our  Lord's  trial  before  Pilate. 
In  the  single  case  in  which  it  is  used  by  St.  Luke,  not  in  his 
Gospel,  but  in  the  Acts  (23:25)  it  stands  for  Herod's  judg- 
ment-hall. Its  usage  in  the  Gospels  and  the  Acts  must  be 
held  as  determining  its  meaning  here.  Writing  to  the  breth- 
ren in  a  Roman  colony,  the  Apostle  could  only  have  had 
in  his  mind  the  provincial  usage  of  the  term  "Praetorium." 
Philippian  disciples  cannot  be  expected  to  have  become 
familiar  with  its  application  to  the  Praetorian  Camp  where 
the  flower  of  the  Roman  army  had  its  Roman  quarters, 
outside  the  Coelian  Gate.  Theodore  Mommsen  has  the 
merit  of  having  brought  us  back  to  this  old  interpretation,  in 
which  he  is  supported  by  Professor  Ramsay.  The  greatest 
sphere  of  the  Apostle's  influence,  according  to  himself, 
must  be  sought  for  neither  "in  Caesar's  household"  nor  in 
"the  Prstorian  Camp,"  but  among  the  members  of  the 
Supreme  Council  of  the  Empire,  to  which  St.  Paul  had 
made  his  appeal  from  the  provincial  court  in  Caesarea. 
When  he  mentions  the  whole  Praetorium,  he  has  in  his 
mind,  "the  whole  body  of  those  that  sat  in  judgment  in  his 

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case."  The  great  officers  of  state,  besides  Nero  himself, 
were  made  to  see  as  the  result  of  his  defense  that  his  bonds 
had  to  do  only  with  his  faith  in  Christ.  One  of  those 
remarkable  speeches  of  his,  such  as  we  find  recorded  in  the 
Acts,  when  he  was  before  provincial  Governors,  had  been 
delivered  in  the  Imperial  Basilica  before  a  crowded  court, 
with  the  Emperor  and  all  the  influential  men  in  Rome 
listening  to  him.  The  impression  made  on  that  occasion 
passed  out  into  the  city,  so  that  ''all  others"  were  also 
reached.  The  true  issue  from  that  day  was  made  perfectly 
clear  that  ''for  the  hope  of  Israel  he  had  been  bound  with 
that  chain."  A  far  more  vivid  conception  of  the  range  of 
this  prisoner's  influence  is  thus  conveyed  to  us  than  if  we 
hold  that  it  was  among  the  soldiers  of  the  Praetorian  Camp, 
through  the  frequent  change  of  guard,  that  this  manifesta- 
tion had  taken  place.  There  is  reason  from  later  history, 
in  the  light  of  the  Catacomb  inscriptions,  to  believe  that 
the  first  knowledge  of  the  Christian  faith  was  imparted,  on 
the  day  of  Paul's  great  defense  before  Caesar,  to  leading 
families,  who  had  their  representatives  present  and  after- 
wards furnished  conspicuous  confessors,  as  Flavius  Glaucus 
and  Domitilla  and  Acilius  Glabrio. 

Where  was  this  celebrated  defense  made?  The  answer 
must  be  in  the  Basilica  belonging  to  the  Palace  then  occupied 
by  Nero.  The  word  palace  as  we  now  use  it  was  appHcable 
then  to  the  whole  series  of  buildings  that  had  been  set  up  by 
Augustus,  Tiberius  and  Caligula.  They  were  not  three 
palaces,  but  three  houses  with  the  House  of  Livia  linking 
two  of  them  together  and  forming  jointly  the  palace.  To 
that  must  be  added  the  "Domus  Transitoria,"  another  house 
which  Nero  began  to  build  in  the  earlier  years  of  his  reign, 
occupying  part  of  the  Palatine,  the  Coelian  and  also  the 
Esquiline.  These  widely  scattered  and  massive  buildings, 
all  making  up  the  one  Palatine,  might  easily  have  had 
more  than  one  Basilica  or  Judgment-hall  within  their  wide 
sweep,  embracing  part  of  three  hills.     That  certainly  adds 

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to  the  difficulty  of  identifying  the  exact  scene  of  the  trial 
before  Nero.  Following  the  example  of  Augustus,  Nero 
would  seem  to  have  revived  the  practise  of  hearing  cases 
of  appeal,  not  in  the  great  basilica  of  the  Forum,  but  in  the 
judgment-hall  of  his  own  royal  house.  That  leads  us  to 
look  for  the  basilica  of  Paul's  trial  in  the  judgment-hall  of 
"the  Domus  Transitoria,"  and  not  on  the  Palatine  at  all. 
Professor  Lanciani  regards  it  as  probable  that  Nero's 
Basihca  will  be  found  on  the  lower  slope  of  the  Esquiline. 
The  Palatine  Basilica,  belonging  to  the  great  Flavian 
"  Domus,"  which  used  to  be  shown  as  the  scene  of  this 
famous  trial  did  not  exist  till  some  fifteen  years  after  the  mar- 
tyrdom of  the  Apostle.  The  great  platform  on  which  that 
magnificent  Imperial  House  was  built  did  not  begin  to  rise 
over  that  hollow  between  the  twin  heights  of  the  Palatine, 
until  Vespasian  came  into  power.  In  St.  Paul's  time  private 
mansions  occupied  the  site  of  which  the  remains  are  to  be 
found  to-day  in  the  so-called  Baths  of  Livia.  While  the 
Flavian  Basihca  is  too  late  to  have  served  for  the  Apostle's 
trial,  it  is  so  near  to  it  in  time  that  with  it  before  us  we  can 
all  the  more  easily  realize  the  scene.  At  the  further  end 
rises  the  Tribune,  on  which  the  Emperor  and  his  Council 
of  Assessors  sat.  Twenty  Romans  of  the  highest  rank 
occupy  those  seats  on  both  sides  of  the  Imperial  Chair,  the 
two  Consuls,  the  two  Praetors  and  all  the  chief  Magistrates 
of  the  city.  A  marble  screen,  such  as  is  seen  in  the  fragment 
set  up,  divides  the  Court  with  its  various  officials  from  the 
general  audience.  Two  lines  of  columns,  running  along 
each  side  of  the  court  separate  the  nave  from  the  aisles. 
Outside  the  dividing  screen  may  be  seen  the  prisoner,  as  we 
have  seen  him  with  the  help  of  the  bronze  medallion  with 
his  right  hand  chained  to  his  guards'  left.  Not  far  off  are 
his  accusers,  the  high  priest  of  the  Jews,  the  treasurer  of 
the  Temple  and  others.  Only  recently  had  they  come  to 
the  city  about  another  appeal  to  the  Emperor,  in  which 
they  were  successful.     In  the  outer  circles  and  mingling 

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with  the  crowd  are  Paul's  friends,  Timothy,  Luke,  Mark, 
Onesimus  and  many  others.  The  hour  long  waited  for 
had  come  and  the  interest  must  have  been  intense.  The 
three  most  conspicuous  persons  in  the  Court  are  Nero,  the 
Jewish  high  priest,  and  St.  Paul.  The  Emperor  is  only 
twenty-five,  though  he  looks  older,  and  already  has  his 
hands  stained  with  the  blood  of  Agrippina,  his  mother,  and 
perhaps  also  of  Octavia,  his  hapless  wife,  exiled,  divorced, 
and  then  slain.  Under  the  Judge's  seat  and  in  a  place  of 
honor  is  the  chief  representative  of  the  Jewish  worship,  the 
one  man  living  whose  privilege  it  had  been  to  enter  into 
the  Holy  of  Holies  of  the  Temple.  At  the  bar  and  on  his 
trial  was  the  greatest  Christian  of  the  age,  the  intrepid 
Apostle  of  the  Gentiles.  Paganism,  Judaism  and  Chris- 
tianity were  thus  face  to  face  in  their  chief  representatives. 
What  would  we  not  give  to  have  the  proceedings  of  that 
trial  even  in  briefest  outline  under  our  eyes  to-day  ? 

In  the  scene,  as  I  have  sought  to  depict  it,  we  have  the 
true  reason  for  the  delay  which  it  would  be  so  hard  to 
account  for  otherwise.  Festus'  utterance  to  Agrippa 
explains  to  us  the  long  interval  before  the  coming  on  of  the 
trial — "it  is  not  the  custom  of  the  Romans  to  give  up  any 
man  before  that  the  accused  have  the  accusers  face  to  face 
and  have  had  opportunity  to  make  his  defense  concerning 
the  matter  laid  against  him."  There  is  no  need  to  seek 
the  reason  for  the  delay  in  the  capricious  character  of  Nero. 
Before  Paul's  trial  could  proceed  his  accusers  had  to  come 
from  Jerusalem.  Their  case  against  the  Apostle  might 
never  have  brought  them,  now  that  he  was  so  far  beyond 
their  reach,  had  not  a  serious  conflict  arisen  between  Agrippa 
and  the  Jewish  people  as  to  the  building  of  a  tower  that 
overlooked  the  Temple.  This  had  been  met  on  their  part 
by  a  counter-wall  shutting  out  the  view  from  the  royal 
residence.  Festus  sided  with  Agrippa  in  the  dispute,  but 
yielded  so  far  as  to  allow  an  appeal  to  Nero.  Tw^elve 
persons,  including  Ismael,  the  high  priest  and  Helcias,  the 

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Treasurer,  set  out  for  Rome  and  here  with  the  helpof  Pop- 
paea,  now  Empress,  they  gained  their  case.  Their  counter- 
wall  was  allowed  to  stand,  shutting  out  the  gaze  of  strangers 
from  the  sacred  courts.  Flushed  with  that  success,  they 
may  have  come  to  the  Praetorium,  as  the  accusers  of  St. 
Paul.  The  date,  assigned  to  that  Embassy  from  Jerusalem 
62  A.  D.,  is  of  great  importance  to  us  as  fixing  the  most 
probable  year  of  the  trial.  In  that  same  year,  62  A.  D., 
Paul  stood  before  Nero.  This  allows  for  those  two  undis- 
turbed years  of  ministry  in  his  hired  house  after  his  arrival 
in  the  early  spring  of  60. 

The  order  of  procedure  in  the  trial  can  in  so  far  be  fitted 
in  from  what  took  place  in  similar  appeals.  The  accusa- 
tions lodged  against  the  Apostle  would  be  read  along  with 
the  report  from  Festus  which  would  embrace  the  description 
of  Lysias  as  to  what  took  place  in  the  Temple  at  Jerusalem. 
The  accusers  would  then  have  an  opportunity  of  speaking 
to  the  charges  alleged  against  him.  What  these  were  we 
can  easily  gather  from  the  pages  of  St.  Luke,  an  eye-witness 
as  to  what  took  place  in  the  provincial  courts.  The  Apostle 
was  accused  of  being  a  disturber  of  the  Jews  in  the  exercise 
of  their  worship,  secured  to  them  by  law;  of  desecrating  the 
Temple  by  introducing  into  its  courts  those  who  had  no 
right  to  be  there;  most  of  all  probably,  with  violation  of  the 
public  peace  through  perpetual  agitation  as  the  ringleader 
of  a  new  and  factious  sect.  Only  this  last  could  have  had 
a  special  interest  for  Nero  and  his  Court.  The  impression 
left,  we  may  well  beheve,  was  in  no  wise  different  from  what 
it  had  been  before  and  which  was  so  well  expressed  in  the 
words,  "this  man  doeth  nothing  worthy  of  death  or  of  bonds." 

Probably  judgment  was  not  given  at  once.  There  are 
distinct  hints  of  a  period  of  suspense  as  to  the  result,  to  be 
gathered  from  the  Philippian  epistle.  The  Apostle  himself 
appears  as  if  "  in  a  strait  betwixt  two"  issues,  life  or  death. 
There  is,  however,  far  more  of  confidence  than  of  fear  in  his 
outlook.     While  he  writes  of  sending  Timothy,  as  soon  as 

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Paul  in  Rome 

he  knows  how  it  will  go  with  him,  "he  trusts  in  the  Lord 
that  he  also  will  come  shortly."  He  ventures  even  to  say 
that  the  interval  would  be  short,  ''I  hope  to  send  Timothy 
shortly."  He  goes  even  farther  than  that,  when  he  asks 
Philemon  "to  prepare  him  a  lodging"  and  he  reveals  the 
ground  of  his  confidence  in  the  prayers  that  were  being 
offered  in  his  behalf.  All  these  expressions  make  it  well- 
nigh  impossible  that  his  first  captivity  should  have  ended 
in  martyrdom. 

If  we  take  into  account  the  issue  in  the  previous  trials 
before  Felix,  Festus,  and  Agrippa,  it  is  hard  to  realize  that 
anything  but  an  acquittal  was  possible.  In  the  interval 
nothing  had  happened  that  could  have  altered  the  verdict, 
so  far  as  the  pleading  on  both  sides  went.  Two  whole  years 
St.  Paul  had  been  under  the  eye  of  the  authorities  and  not 
a  complaint  seems  to  have  reached  them  that  he  had  been 
a  disturber  of  the  peace  of  the  city.  Those  earlier  feuds 
in  the  time  of  Claudius  between  the  Jewish  and  Christian 
sections  of  the  people  about  one  "Christus,"  are  not  heard 
of  now.  Even  if  we  allow  for  the  calling  in  of  the  influence 
of  Poppaea,  it  is  very  hard  to  persuade  ourselves  that  Nero 
at  this  time  would  have  allowed  a  Roman  citizen  to  be 
sacrificed  on  no  better  grounds  than  could  be  alleged  against 
the  Apostle.  The  Emperor  must  have  clearly  seen  that 
only  "envy  and  jealousy"  moved  the  Jews  against  him, 
while  his  yet  lingering  respect  for  the  rights  of  Roman 
citizenship  might  easily  have  served  to  deliver  Paul  out  of 
the  hands  of  his  accusers.  Sooner  or  later  we  believe  the 
verdict  was  in  his  favor.  In  the  same  Prsetorium  in  which 
the  trial  had  taken  place,  the  sentence  of  acquittal  would 
be  read,  the  chain  removed  from  his  wrist  and  himself  made 
a  free  man. 

What  a  day  of  thanksgiving  that  must  have  been  in  the 
hired  house,  where  all  the  leading  Christians  in  the  city 
would  gather!  Nor  would  the  rejoicings  be  confined  to  the 
Apostle's    dwelling.     The    house    on    the    Aventine  where 

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Aquila  and  Priscilla  had  often  assembled  the  Church 
together,  must  have  witnessed  joyful  gatherings  in  which 
St.  Paul  had  a  leading  part.  The  Pudenses  in  the  Viminal 
in  that  very  house  on  whose  walls  we  can  look  to-day 
must  have  also  welcomed  their  friends  to  rejoice  over  the 
verdict.  We  can  imagine  Pomponia  Grsecina  and  other 
honorable  women  assembled  there  with  the  family  of  Pudens 
to  give  thanks  to  God  for  the  deliverance  granted.  Timothy 
might  well  have  been  with  them  before  he  set  out  for  the 
East,  for  he  was  a  friend  of  the  family,  as  Pudens'  salutation 
in  Paul's  last  epistle  shows. 

While  Paul  may  have  thus  remained  for  a  time  in  the 
city  to  visit  the  various  centers  of  Christian  life  in  it,  we  can 
see  Timothy  and  others  hastening  along  the  Appian  Way, 
bearers  of  the  good  tidings  to  the  Eastern  Churches  and  pre- 
paring all  for  the  Apostle's  own  purposed  visit  to  Colossae 
as  well  as  Philippi.  One  might  be  tempted  to  say  that 
at  this  stage  the  Apostle  would  not  lose  the  opportunity 
of  organizing  somewhat  the  great  body  of  believers  now  in 
Rome.  He  could  hardly  have  left  without  appointing 
those  who  would  administer  the  affairs  of  the  Church  in 
his  absence,  unless  we  suppose  that  already  there  were 
those  charged  with  this  work,  so  that  he  could  leave  it  in 
their  hands,  with  confidence.  It  is  remarkable  how  silent 
his  Roman  epistles  are  as  to  the  organization  of  the  Christian 
Church  in  the  City  and  even  still  more  so  as  to  any  share  in 
it  by  him  or  any  other  apostle.  That  does  not,  of  necessity, 
prove  that  he  was  regardless  of  order  and  administration. 
Certainly  it  had  no  first  place  in  his  thoughts,  nor  has  it  any 
in  the  record. 

The  one  thing  on  which  St.  Paul  must  have  set  his  heart 
was  to  convey  to  the  whole  Church  the  importance  of  the 
verdict  that  had  just  been  given.  It  had  been  confirmed, 
beyond  all  dispute,  in  the  highest  Court  of  Appeal  that  the 
gospel  of  Christ  could  be  preached  in  all  parts  of  the  Empire 
without  let  or  hindrance.     If  his  prophetic  eye  had  a  vision 

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Paul  in  Rome 

of  troublous  times  at  hand,  you  can  imagine  how  eager  he 
would  be  to  rouse  the  whole  Church  to  make  full  use  of  its 
great  opportunity.  There  were  at  least  two  full  years  of 
respite,  possibly  three,  before  a  change  came  in  the  attitude 
of  the  governing  authorities  to  the  Christian  faith.  For 
it  is  coming  to  be  believed  that  while  the  burning  of  the  city 
took  place  in  July  of  64  A.  D.,  the  spring  of  65  had  come 
before  the  Christians  were  made  the  scapegoat  for  Nero's 
own  crime. 

The  deliverance  of  this  prisoner  no  doubt  gave  a  most 
extraordinary  impulse  to  the  preaching  of  Christ  throughout 
the  Empire.  A  period  of  great  enlargement  must  have 
come.  The  hundreds  that  heard  the  truth  from  Paul's 
own  lips  and  could  look  to  the  hired  house  as  their  birth- 
place, would  surely  multiply  in  the  interval.  It  is  by  no 
means  hard  to  believe  what  the  secular  historian  writes  of 
the  ''great  multitude"  that  suffered  so  soon  after  the 
expiring  of  the  next  two  years,  in  the  gardens  of  Nero,  now 
in  part  occupied  by  the  great  Basilica  of  St.  Peter's.  That 
characteristic  closing  word  of  St.  Luke's  history  of  the  early 
Church  "unhindered"  remained  true  for  another  biennium 
at  least.  Singularly  enough,  the  instrument  in  the  hand  of 
Providence  that  sheltered  the  Christian  Church,  not  only 
in  Rome  but  throughout  the  greatest  Empire  the  world  has 
ever  known,  was  the  least  likely  man  of  that  or  of  any  after 
age.  The  Caesar  to  whom  St.  Paul  appealed  in  virtue  of 
his  rights  as  a  Roman  citizen,  had  given  the  verdict  in  his 
favor.  That  wonderful  word  "  I  appeal  unto  Caesar,"  in  the 
end  not  only  broke  his  fetters,  but  sent  him  back  again  to  the 
Churches  in  the  East,  gave  Crete  its  day  of  opportunity, 
brought  him  probably  as  far  as  to  Spain  and  added  to  that 
precious  ministry  of  his  four,  if  not  five,  fruitful  years  ere 
he  won  the  martyr's  crown. 

The  hints  given  us  in  the  epistles  to  Philemon  and  the 
Philippians  leave  hardly  any  doubt  as  to  the  direction 
taken  by  him  when  he  left  the  city.  His  face  must  have 
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Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

been  turned  eastwards  along  the  same  great  Way  by  which 
he  had  come.  Though  we  have  no  account  of  any  convoy 
on  the  part  of  the  brethren,  we  may  be  sure  he  was  not 
allowed  to  set  out  without  it.  As  his  object  was  to  reach 
Colossae  as  soon  as  possible,  the  shorter  route  might  have 
been  taken  by  Brindusium  to  Dyrrachium.  The  churches 
of  Laodicea  and  Hierapolis  as  well  as  of  Colossae  needed  his 
presence  owing  to  the  heresies  which  had  begun  to  show 
themselves,  according  to  the  report  of  Epaphras.  His 
resolution  to  visit  Spain  must  have  been,  for  the  time  at 
least,  put  aside.  Though  the  evidence  as  to  the  various 
steps  in  his  journeyings  at  this  stage  is  very  meager,  his 
declared  intention  to  the  Philippians  to  give  them  a  personal 
visit  must  have  been  carried  out  soon  after  his  acquittal. 
It  would  not  be  difficult  for  the  Apostle  and  his  companions 
to  put  in  months  of  labor  in  visiting  the  churches  on  both 
sides  of  the  Egean  Sea.  Then  would  come  in  his  Cretan 
mission,  in  company  with  Titus,  of  which  he  afterwards 
writes  in  his  epistle  to  him.  From  one  or  other  of  these 
Eastern  ports  it  was  quite  easy  for  him  to  visit  Spain  and 
carry  into  effect  that  purpose  to  which  he  had  given  expres- 
sion in  his  Roman  epistle  some  four  or  five  years  before. 
The  strongest  proof  of  such  a  visit  ever  having  been  made 
is  found  in  the  words  of  Clement  as  to  his  having  "reached 
the  furthest  bounds  of  his  will  before  his  martyrdom." 
One  writing  from  Rome  to  Corinth  was  not  likely  to  have 
described  the  Capital  of  the  Empire  as  its  most  Western 
point.  The  strong  probability  is  that  in  A.  D.  95,  that  is, 
only  thirty  years  after  the  Apostle's  death,  a  visit  by  him  to 
Spain  had  come  to  be  included  in  Clement's  summary  of 
his  many  labors.  In  the  Pastoral  Epistles,  two  of  which 
were  written  in  the  course  of  this  interval,  there  are  distinct 
allusions  to  visits  paid  by  him  and  to  heretical  as  well  as 
administrative  developments,  for  which  we  can  find  no  room 
in  the  history  of  the  Acts  down  to  his  first  captivity.  While 
these  avail  as  proofs  in  favor  of  a  second  imprisonment,  they 


Paul  in  Rome 

are  not  sufficient  to  enable  us  to  fill  in  that  interval  of  four 
or  five  years,  during  which  the  Apostle  enjoyed  his  liberty  and 
ere  "the  hired  dwelHng"  had  to  give  place  to  his  prison. 

In  the  last  letter  which  St.  Paul  wrote,  there  is  an  expres- 
sion which  clearly  enough  indicates  that  a  very  great  change 
had  come  in  his  circumstances,  when  he  wrote  it.  ''I  suffer 
hardship  unto  bonds,  as  a  malefactor"  (2  Tim.  2:9).  In 
none  of  the  earlier  epistles,  written  in  "his  hired  dwelling," 
though  there  is  frequent  allusion  to  his  bonds,  have  we 
any  description  that  answers  to  this.  "Malefactor"  conveys 
the  fact  that  he  was  now  treated  as  a  common  criminal, 
charged  with  grave  offenses.  And  yet  he  is  careful  to  bring 
out  that  it  was  for  the  gospel,  which  he  preached,  that  he 
was  "suffering  hardship."  No  new  elements  had  entered 
into  his  experience  to  justify  this  treatment  any  more  than 
when  he  had  been  set  at  liberty.  If  we  only  knew  what  led 
to  his  arrest,  when  he  was  on  his  way  to  Nicopolis,  in  one  or 
other  of  the  cities  of  Greece  or  after  his  arrival  there,  we 
should  see  clearly  that  all  the  conditions  on  Paul's  side  were 
the  same  as  ever.  The  one  hint  given  us  in  his  last  epistle, 
as  to  what  may  have  led  to  his  seizure,  best  accords  with 
what  caused  the  great  tumult  in  the  theater  of  Ephesus. 
As  Demetrius,  the  silversmith,  whose  craft  was  in  danger, 
appeared  there  as  the  chief  instigator  of  the  uproar,  so 
Timothy  is  warned  against  "Alexander  the  coppersmith," 
who  had  done  him  "much  evil."  The  mention  of  his  trade 
suggests  that  it  had  been  seriously  affected  by  St.  Paul's 
preaching  and  that  from  this  sprang  his  strong  opposition 
to  his  "words."  A  charge  founded  on  injury  to  trade  in 
the  matter  of  images  would  easily  provoke  serious  disorder 
in  a  city  such  as  NicopoHs,  whose  festivals  vied  even  with 
the  Olympian  games.  The  arrest  and  imprisonment  of  the 
Apostle  would  quickly  follow.  Possibly  the  fact  of  his 
Roman  citizenship  was  the  only  barrier  in  the  way  of  the 
Apostle's  summary  execution  and  secured  his  being  sent 
to  Rome  a  second   time.     The  treatment  meted  out  to 

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common  criminals  at  once  became  his.  To  one  of  the 
Roman  prisons  he  was  consigned,  there  to  await  his  trial, 
a  second  trial  with  its  death-sentence. 

In  all  this  change  of  treatment  of  this  famous  prisoner, 
there  are  manifest  tokens  of  a  new  attitude  toward  Chris- 
tianity on  the  part  of  the  ruling  powers  of  the  Empire.  The 
reasons  for  that  change  we  must  seek  in  the  events  of  July, 
A.  D.  64,  when  the  burning  of  the  city  took  place.  For 
six  days  on  end  the  fire  raged.  When  it  seemed  to  have 
consumed  all  within  its  reach,  it  broke  forth  in  a  new 
quarter  under  the  Pincian  hill  in  the  gardens  of  Tigellinus, 
one  of  the  city  prefects,  the  mere  creature  of  Nero  and  in 
some  respects  baser  than  his  master.  Three  more  days 
passed  before  the  fire  could  be  arrested.  It  was  found  that 
of  the  fourteen  districts  into  which  the  city  had  been 
divided  by  Augustus,  only  four  escaped  untouched,  three 
were  reduced  to  ashes,  and  seven  others  were  covered  with 
the  wrecks  of  buildings  scorched  by  the  flames.  No  words 
can  describe  the  scene  of  terror  and  desolation  on  which 
the  Roman  populace  looked  when  all  was  over. 

When  the  fire  broke  out  Nero  himself  had  been  absent, 
purposely  so,  it  was  believed.  On  the  news  reaching  him 
at  Antium  of  the  unlooked  for  extent  of  the  conflagration, 
he  hastened  up  to  Rome  and  viewed  the  scene  from  a  turret 
of  the  Golden  House,  which  was  in  course  of  construction. 
One  finds  it  hard  to  believe  that,  bad  as  he  was,  he  actually 
was  seen  dancing  to  the  accompaniment  of  the  violin,  while 
he  sang  "the  burning  of  Troy." 

Certainly  the  historians  of  those  times  bear  witness  to  the 
existence  of  the  belief  in  that  and  the  subsequent  age,  that 
Nero  himself  planned  and  caused  to  be  executed  the  burning 
of  the  part  of  the  city  which  he  needed  for  the  extension 
of  his  Golden  House.  Tacitus,  writing  about  forty  years 
after  the  event,  mentions  this  only  as  "a  dark  insinuation." 
Suetonius  writes  of  it  about  the  same  time  as  if  it  had  been 
true.     Dio  Cassius,  later  still,  accepts  it  as  an  accredited 

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Paul  in  Rome 

fact.  This  threefold  testimony  shows  that  the  suspicions 
of  the  time  clung  to  Nero  himself  as  the  culprit.  What 
lends  support  to  the  common  belief  is  seen  in  the  special 
preparations  that  are  said  to  have  been  made  to  fan  the 
flames  and  even  provide  for  the  houseless.  ''An  enormous 
number  of  wooden  booths,"  writes  Professor  Lanciani  in 
his  Ancient  Rome,  ''and  tents  were  secretly  prepared  and 
fleets  of  grain-laden  vessels  were  in  readiness  to  sail  at 
a  moment's  notice  from  the  various  harbors  of  the  Mediter- 
ranean.'* The  Campus  Martius  and  the  Baths  of  Agrippa 
were  thrown  open  for  shelter.  The  price  of  corn  was 
reduced  to  one-fourth  of  its  market  value,  but  even  such 
measures  failed  to  dissipate  the  angry  suspicions  of  the 
people.  To  Nero  and  his  counsellors  it  became  evident 
that  some  scapegoat  must  be  found,  on  whose  head  the 
penalty  of  so  far-reaching  a  crime  must  fall.  What  hap- 
pened we  find  described  to  us  thus  in  the  pages  of  Tacitus, 
"In  order  to  stifle  the  suspicion  that  the  conflagration  had 
been  commanded,  Nero  accused  and  exposed  to  special 
torments  certain  wicked  and  detestable  people,  who  were 
commonly  styled  Christians.  They  derived  their  names 
from  a  certain  Christus,  who  had  suffered  death  under 
Pontius  Pilate  in  the  reign  of  Tiberius,  but  their  abominable 
superstition  though  checked  for  a  time  was  again  breaking 
forth  and  spreading  not  only  over  Judea,  where  it  had  its 
origin,  but  through  the  city  whither  everything  atrocious 
and  shameless  comes  together  and  is  practised  openly." 
There  is  no  uncertainty  there  as  to  the  actual  sufferers  nor 
as  to  the  motive  that  impelled  the  persecutor,  "to  stifle  the 
suspicion  that  the  conflagration  had  been  commanded." 
The  same  writer  tells  us  how  the  authorities  set  themselves 
to  find  out  those  who  were  supposed  to  be  guilty.  "Some," 
he  proceeds,  "were  at  once  arrested  and  on  their  confession 
and  testimony  a  great  number  of  others  were  convicted,  not 
so  much  on  the  charge  of  incendiarism  as  of  their  "  hatred  to 
mankind  in  general."     Precise  as  Tacitus'  words  are,  there 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

has  been  no  little  difference  of  opinion  among  modern 
scholars  as  to  the  actual  relation  of  the  State  to  the  Christian 
community  in  Rome  at  the  time.  One  thing  is  evident  that, 
great  as  the  growth  of  the  Church  had  been  during  the 
Apostle's  fruitful  ministry,  those  guiding  the  movement  had 
avoided  giving  visibility  to  it.  The  Christians  had  con- 
tinued to  meet  in  the  houses  of  the  more  influential  brethren 
among  them.  There  had  been  little  or  no  advance  in 
comparison  with  what  is  seen  in  the  last  chapter  of  the 
Roman  epistle,  many  places  of  meeting  with  the  main 
feature  dominating,  "  the  Church  in  the  house."  This 
readily  accounts  for  the  methods  to  which  the  authorities 
had  recourse  when  the  persecution  under  Nero  began. 
There  were  but  few  Christians  known  outside  their  own 
circle  and  torture  had  to  be  applied  before  the  names  of 
others  could  be  obtained.  In  the  end  a  ''great  multitude" 
of  disciples  were  discovered  and  put  to  death  in  the  most 
cruel  manner  in  the  circus  of  Nero.  Tacitus  tells  us  that 
the  Emperor  himself  not  only  "offered  his  gardens  for  the 
purpose  but  gave  a  chariot  race,  mingling  with  the  mob  in 
the  dress  of  a  charioteer  or  actually  driving  about  among 
them." 

It  is  easily  possible  to  trace  to-day  the  exact  scene  of 
those  sufferings.  The  paved  way  leading  round  to  the 
Vatican  Museum  runs  almost  in  the  line  of  the  main  axis 
of  the  circus.  The  southern  wall  of  the  great  Basilica 
rests  on  the  seats  on  which  the  spectators  sat  on  that  occa- 
sion. The  obelisk,  now  standing  in  front  of  St.  Peter's, 
then  stood  in  the  very  center  of  the  arena.  The  exact  spot 
can  be  traced  to  a  slab  with  inscription  bearing  the  date  of 
its  removal  to  the  great  square.  On  the  authority  of  Tacitus 
we  are  able  to  affirm  that  such  scenes  did  not  long  continue, 
"guilty  as  the  victims  were  and  deserving  of  the  worst 
punishments  a  feeling  of  compassion  towards  them  began 
to  rise,  as  men  felt  they  were  being  immolated  not  for  any 
advantage  to  the  commonwealth  but  to  glut  the  savagery 

I02 


Paul  in  Rome 

of  a  single  man."  That  revulsion  of  feeling  from  such 
spectacles,  however,  did  not  put  an  end  to  the  persecution 
on  the  part  of  the  authorities.  The  attitude  of  the  State 
towards  the  Christian  rehgion  had  undergone  a  distinct 
change.  It  had  ceased  to  be  confounded  with  the  Jewish 
religion  and  had  come  to  be  regarded  as  an  abominable 
superstition  and  placed  in  the  category  of  a  religio  illicita. 
In  the  writings  of  Suetonius  we  have  a  striking  confirmation 
of  the  change,  pointing  to  the  proscription  of  Christianity 
as  a  novel  and  mischievous  superstition.  "Among  a  hst 
of  regulations  to  ensure  good  order  in  Rome  he  mentions 
the  punishment  of  Christians  along  with  other  prohibitions 
which  the  city-police  were  required  to  put  into  effect." 

Professor  Ramsay  argues  that  ''the  fair  and  natural  inter- 
pretation of  Suetonius'  words  is  that  he  considered  Nero 
to  have  maintained  a  steady  prosecution  of  a  mischievous 
class  of  persons  in  virtue  of  his  duty  to  maintain  peace  and 
order  in  the  city  and  to  have  intended  that  this  prosecution 
should  be  permanent."  If  that  fairly  represents  the  attitude 
of  the  State  in  the  later  period  of  Nero's  reign,  it  is  sufl&cient 
to  account  for  the  arrest  of  the  leaders  of  the  Church  in  the 
provinces,  the  bringing  of  St.  Paul  back  to  the  city  for 
another  trial  under  entirely  different  circumstances.  It  is 
not  needful  that  we. should  decide  now  when  confession 
of  "the  name"  came  to  be  regarded  as  a  capital  offense. 
The  experience  of  St.  Paul,  as  given  us  in  his  second  epistle 
to  Timothy,  rather  points  to  charges  brought  against  him, 
such  as  created  the  tumult  in  the  theater  of  Ephesus. 

In  the  absence  of  all  details  as  to  the  grounds  of  the 
Apostle's  arrest,  it  is  all  the  more  easy  to  account  for  his 
being  deah  with  now  as  "a  malefactor,"  in  view  of  these 
police  regulations  directed  against  Christians,  to  which 
Suetonius  testifies.  Had  we  been  favored  with  a  history 
of  his  second  journey  to  Rome  as  "a  prisoner,"  we  should 
have  found  in  it  no  allusion  to  any  meeting  with  the  brethren 
at  various  points  in  his  route  nor  to  any  liberty  having  been 

103 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

granted  to  him  such  as  he  had  in  his  hired  house.  We 
cannot  even  say  whether  he  came  along  the  Appian  Way 
and  was  able  to  recall  those  precious  memories  of  good 
cheer.  Perhaps  the  signs  of  the  great  conflagration  were 
still  visible.  A  new  object  would  have  met  his  view,  if  he 
passed  by  the  Via  Triumphalis  or  the  Vicus  Tutens.  "  The 
Golden  House  of  Nero  "  had  risen  on  the  ashes  of  the  city  of 
his  earher  captivity.  It  could  be  seen  stretching  across 
part  of  three  of  the  hills.  In  all  probability  the  Emperor 
was  absent  in  Greece  at  the  time,  if  we  take  the  date  of 
St.  Paul's  second  imprisonment  as  not  earlier  than  66  A.  D. 
There  could  have  been  no  "lodging"  allowed  to  him. 
Straight  to  his  prison  he  must  have  been  led.  There  was 
but  the  one  issue  before  him  and  that  issue  could  not  be 
long  delayed. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  points  that  claims  to  be  con- 
sidered by  us  now  relates  to  the  site  of  the  prison  where 
St.  Paul  spent  his  last  days.  Is  it  possible  for  us  to  identify 
it  as  the  Mamertine,  on  the  edge  of  the  Forum  and  so  well- 
known  in  Roman  history  from  the  earliest  period?  The 
term  Mamertine,  usually  applied  to  it  is  to  be  traced  to 
Mamer  or  Martins.  Its  less  known  name,  ''TuUianum" 
throws  some  light  on  its  early  history.  The  best  authori- 
ties agree  that  it  came  to  have  this  name  from  tullius,  an 
archaic  word  meaning  a  jet  or  spring.  The  lower  of  the 
two  cells,  that  we  visit  to-day,  was  at  first  nothing  but 
a  cistern  cut  out  of  the  live  tufa  and  had  its  contents  supplied 
from  a  perennial  spring.  There  was  no  need  to  bring  in 
miraculous  agency  to  account  for  the  springing  up  of  the 
water,  even  if  it  could  be  proved  that  it  was  needed  for 
baptisms  in  that  lower  cell.  The  water  was  there  long 
before.  The  upper  cell  would  seem  to  have  been  the  older 
of  the  two  and  the  lower  was  made  at  a  later  period,  when 
more  room  was  required  or  a  still  deeper  and  darker  dungeon 
was  called  for.  The  under  cell  appears  to  have  been  the 
very  one  referred  to  by  Livy  as  "the  Tullianum."    Sallust's 

104 


< 


..i*2i^-^|.\"j. 


Paul  In  Rome 

description  of  it,  in  the  century  before  the  Christian  era, 
enables  us  to  form  some  conception  of  what  it  must  have 
been  in  the  reign  of  Nero.  He  depicts  it  as  a  "dark,  filthy 
and  frightful  den,  twelve  feet  underground,  walled  in  and 
covered  with  massive  stone-walls"  (Lanciani).  Into  that 
under-prison  not  a  ray  of  light  penetrated.  The  one  access 
to  it  was  by  a  man-hole  in  the  center  of  its  vault,  through 
which  prisoners  were  let  down  and  from  which  they  never 
came  out  again  alive.  Up  to  the  sixteenth  century  it 
retained  its  original  depth  of  twelve  feet  from  floor  to  ceiling, 
now  it  has  only  six  feet,  little  more  than  enough  for  a  man 
of  medium  height  to  stand  erect.  The  upper  cell  is  con- 
siderably larger,  of  rectangular  form  and  with  vaulted  roof. 
There  was  access  to  it  in  the  ordinary  way  and  light  could 
be  admitted  into  it.  For  several  centuries  these  two  cham- 
bers are  believed  to  have  served  as  Rome's  prison.  Of  it 
Dio  Cassius  speaks  when,  writing  of  the  times  of  the  kings 
and  tribunes,  he  could  use  the  words  these  were  "the  happy 
ages,  when  Rome  was  content  with  one  prison."  Even  if 
we  had  far  better  evidence  than  is  now  in  our  possession, 
connecting  St.  Paul  with  the  Mamertine  prison,  the  researches 
of  Dr.  Parker  of  last  century  have  relieved  us  of  the  necessity 
of  supposing  that  one  of  these  cells  formed  his  prison.  No 
fewer  than  five  great  prison-chambers  were  discovered  by 
him  behind  these  and  extending  eastward  from  the  Forum. 
"All  the  interiors  are  lofty  with  vaulted  roofs,  partly  of 
stone,  partly  brickwork,"  there  are  signs  also  of  ''a  coeval 
origin  with  that  of  the  two  dungeons"  (Hemans'  Historic 
and  Monumental  Rome).  In  this  way  we  obtain  a  far  truer 
conception  of  what  the  Mamertine  was  during  the  Empire 
and  at  the  same  time  become  less  disposed  to  fix  on  either 
of  the  two  cells  shown  to  us  now  as  having  been  the  place 
of  St.  Paul's  second  imprisonment. 

The  evidence  on  which  the  legends  of  the  Medieval 
Church  rest  as  to  the  Apostle's  connection  with  it,  is  of  the 
slenderest    character.     The    consecration    of    these    two 

105 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

dungeons  for  Christian  worship  is  assigned  to  St.  Sylvester 
at  the  suggestion  of  Constantine,  but  even  that  has  no 
surer  basis  than  an  apocryphal  letter  to  St.  Jerome.  If 
we  could  be  sure  of  the  alleged  action  of  the  Church  in  the 
first  quarter  of  the  4th  century,  we  might  with  confidence 
hold  that  it  represented  the  Church's  belief  in  the  time  of 
Constantine.     Beyond  that  we  could  not  go. 

What  we  may  surely  affirm  is,  that  all  the  circumstances 
detailed  in  St.  Paul's  last  letter  are  against  the  idea  that 
he  was  confined  in  that  lower  dungeon.  Those  let  down 
there  once  hardly  ever  saw  the  light  of  day  again.  No  one 
could  have  visited  him  there.  The  writing  of  a  letter  to 
Timothy  in  it  was  out  of  the  question.  If  we  had  the  whole 
of  the  rooms  of  this  great  State-prison  before  us,  we  might 
then  be  in  a  position  to  judge  as  to  the^most  probable  one 
for  the  confinement  of  St.  Paul.  Even  then,  without  some 
more  positive  evidence  than  we  possess,  we  should  remain 
in  doubt  as  Rome  had  other  well-known  prisons,  such  as 
those  of  Appius  Claudius,  under  the  theater  of  Marcellus 
and  also  the  Lautumiae  near  the  Argiletum. 

While  the  site  of  his  prison  must  thus  remain  uncertain 
we  are  brought  very  near  to  his  state  of  mind  in  his  letter  to 
Timothy.  Never  had  the  end  seemed  to  him  so  near  as 
now.  He  realizes  himself  almost  in  the  act  of  offering  him- 
self up — "I  am  already  being  offered."  What  he  adds 
gives  a  vivid  impression  of  the  nearness  of  the  end,  ''my 
departure  is  come"  Hterally  "it  stands  beside  me."  Never 
before  had  the  Apostle  written  down  such  words  in  any  of 
his  epistles.  We  are  made  to  feel  that  the  close  of  that 
wonderful  career  is  now  in  sight.  And  yet  we  must  not 
take  even  such  forecast  in  too  literal  a  sense.  As  he  wrote 
he  had  the  expectation  of  having  Timothy  with  him  from 
Ephesus  before  winter.  That  involved  a  number  of  weeks 
at  least  before  his  letter  could  reach  him  and  he  had  time 
to  respond.  We  are  made  to  see  that  St.  Paul  himself  felt 
there  was  need  for  haste.     His  ''come  shortly"  and  "before 

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Paul  in  Rome 

winter"  alike  convey  the  thought  that  he  might  possibly 
arrive  too  late.     The  urgency  of  this  appeal  is  seen  in  the 
words  introducing  it,   ''do  thy  diligence."     It  all  reveals 
the  intense  longing  of  the  aged  Apostle's  heart  to  have 
Timothy  with  him  once  more  before  the  end  came.     But 
there  is  yet  more, — he  would  learn  from  his  fellow- worker's 
own  lips  how  it  fared  with  those  churches  that  owed  their 
existence  to  him.     In  his  Roman  prison  his  heart  was  full 
of  anxiety,  as  he  thought  of  some  who  had  "turned  away"; 
of  others,  who  had  been  giving  a  false  testimony  as  to  the 
resurrection:  the  future  too  was  very  dark  in  front  of  him, 
grievous   times   were   coming.     His   own   all   but   sohtary 
condition  in  the  prison  makes  the  coming  of  Timothy  the 
more  needful,  ''only  Luke  is  with  me."     Four  other  names 
he  mentions,  all  known  to  Timothy  from  the  time  of  his 
first  sojourn  with  him  in  Rome,  "Eubulus,  Pudens,  Linus 
and  Claudia."     These  were  in  touch  with  him  as  well  as 
other  brethren  so  as  to  transmit  greetings,  but  there  re- 
mained one  only  whom  he  could  count  on  as  his  companion, 
"the  beloved  physician."     Others  in  various  fields  were  in 
his  mind,  Crescens  in  Gaul  and  Titus  in  Dalmatia.     Demas 
he  could  think  of  only  with  a  pang.     "Demas  had  forsaken 
him,  having  loved  this  present  world."     Another  well-known 
name  comes  up  in  the  list,  of  which  we  could  hardly  have 
expected   to   have   had   such   honorable   mention,    "Take 
Mark,  and  bring  him  with  thee."     What  kind  of  ministry 
St.  Paul  expected  from  him  in  prison  and  when  his  own  end 
was  so  near,  we  can  only  imagine.     Was  the  Apostle  thinking 
of  providing  helpers  for  the  Roman  Church,  when  he  should 
finish  his  own  course  ?     That  was  a  remarkable  combination, 
Timothy  for  the  Gentile  section  in  it  and  Mark  for  the 
Jewish.     Other  names  that  specially  interest   us  have  a 
place  in  the  Apostle's  mind  in  his  prison.     Prisca  and 
Aquila  once  more  are  in  the  East;  if  not  in  Ephesus,  at  least 
within  reach  of  Timothy,  who  could  convey  his  salutations 
to  them.     As  they  were  rather  noted  members  of  the  Roman 

107 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

Church,  it  looks  as  if  they  had  been  driven  out  of  the  city 
again  at  the  time  of  the  persecution.  But  for  this  salutation 
sent  to  them  through  Timothy,  we  might  have  concluded 
that  they  had  been  among  the  host  of  sufferers  so  cruelly 
put  to  death  in  the  circus  of  Nero.  While  St.  Paul's  last 
imprisonment  is  running  its  course,  they  are  still  alive. 
There  was  another  name  that  comes  up  twice  in  that  last 
letter,  that  seemed  to  have  for  him  a  peculiar  fragrance 
about  it,  as  he  recalls  Onesiphorus  with  his  frequent  visits 
to  him  in  Rome  and  his  manifold  ministry  in  the  Church 
of  Ephesus.  The  fact  that  in  both  cases  "the  house  of 
Onesiphorus"  is  mentioned  and  not  Onesiphorus  only, 
has  suggested  to  some  that  this  honored  brother  had  died. 
The  fervent  prayer  to  which  the  Apostle  gives  utterance 
in  which  he  only  is  mentioned,  points  rather  to  the  fact  that 
he  was  still  alive  and  that  his  whole  household  as  well  as 
himself  held  a  special  place  in  the  Apostle's  heart.  How 
true  does  the  heart  of  this  aged  servant  of  the  Lord  beat 
to  all  those  that  had  been  with  him  or  were  still  around  him ! 
The  allusions  to  his  second  trial  in  this  same  epistle  reveal 
a  state  of  things  entirely  different  from  anything  that  we 
read  of  in  the  letters  of  his  hired  house.  His  "first  defense " 
was  over.  The  utter  lonehness  of  his  position  at  the  bar, 
where  he  appears  not  only  in  bonds  but  as  a  "malefactor" 
marks  it  off  altogether  from  that  former  time.  Even  Luke 
at  this  stage  was  not  with  him.  Hard  as  it  is  to  account 
for  this,  his  words  require  us  to  believe  it,  "at  my  first 
defense  no  one  took  my  part,  but  all  forsook  me."  There 
was  a  forsaking,  that  was  keenly  felt  by  the  Apostle,  and  for 
which  he  could  only  ask  the  divine  forgiveness,  "may  it 
not  be  laid  to  their  account."  It  is  just  possible  that  Luke 
had-  not  then  been  with  him  and  that  this  most  faithful 
attendant  had  come  only  later,  as  he  receives  honorable 
mention,  as  being  the  "only"  one  "with  him."  That  first 
part  of  the  trial  must  have  been  faced  in  the  midst  of  the 
greatest  peril  as  well  as  loneliness.     The  thought  of  that 

io8 


Paul  in  Rome 

terrible  hour  brings  up  an  experience  which  we  should 
never  have  known  anything  of,  apart  from  its  pecuHar 
separation  from  all  earthly  help.  Christ's  presence  would 
seem  to  have  been  revealed  to  him  in  a  very  unusual  way 
even  for  him — ''the  Lord  stood  by  me,"  as  one  close  to  him, 
as  almost  visibly  present.  New  strength  came  to  him  as 
he  gave  his  message,  so  that  he  felt  there  was  a  fulness 
about  it  that  moved  all  the  Gentiles  who  heard  it.  There 
followed  a  deliverance  as  out  of  the  mouth  of  "the  lion." 
There  is  not  a  little  in  this  description  that  might  answer  to 
his  first  trial  under  Nero.  So  it  was  interpreted  by  the 
Church  in  the  fourth  century,  but  the  totally  altered  circum- 
stances of  the  Apostle  in  his  last  letter  as  compared  with 
those  of  the  earlier  epistles  of  his  hired  house  were  not 
sufficiently  considered.  The  "mouth  of  the  lion"  need  not 
suggest  Nero;  it  is  a  not  unusual  term  for  very  imminent 
danger  such  as  might  have  faced  the  Apostle  soon  after  his 
appearance  before  "the  rulers,"  left  in  charge  in  Nero's 
absence.  There  and  then  he  felt  himself  so  near  the  end 
that  he  was  as  one  in  the  very  act  of  offering  himself  up ;  the 
goal  of  his  course  was  in  sight;  the  crown  of  righteousness 
was  in  the  hand  of  the  righteous  Judge.  There  was  a  sug- 
gestion there  of  the  unrighteous  tribunal  before  which  he 
had  stood.  And  yet,  near  as  he  thought  the  issue  to  be,  it 
did  not  yet  come.  He  could  look  forward  to  the  possible 
arrival  of  Timothy  with  Mark  "before  winter"  and  he  could 
with  the  respite  now  allowed  him,  provide  against  the  cold 
season  in  a  Roman  prison  by  having  his  "cloke"  brought  to 
him,  while  "the  books  and  especially  the  parchments" 
would  still  be  of  service  to  him. 

Not  a  hint  has  been  given  us  as  to  the  scene  of  this  second 
trial.  We  may  well  believe  that  it  could  not  have  been  in 
the  Praetorium  as  in  the  first  case.  The  Emperor  was 
absent  from  the  city  and  there  had  been  no  appeal  to  him 
as  formerly.  The  probabilities  are  all  in  favor  of  its  having 
taken  place  in  one  of  the  great  basilicas  of  the  Forum. 

109 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

There  were  two  in  use  at  the  time,  either  of  which  could 
have  held  an  immense  assembly,  such  as  might  well  answer 
to  the  description  ''all  the  Gentiles."  The  Basilica  Julia 
with  its  double  aisles,  capable  of  accommodating  four 
different  tribunals  at  the  same  time,  might  have  been  the 
scene  of  this  second  trial.  The  Roman  plebs,  in  its  thous- 
ands, could  have  gathered  there  for  the  trial.  Tigellinus 
might  have  been  on  the  bench  along  with  the  city-magistrates. 
A  slight  clue  is  given  us  as  to  the  charges  laid  against  him 
in  "the  evil  work,"  from  which  the  Apostle  has  the  con- 
fidence of  being  delivered.  The  term  well  agrees  with  the 
malignant  accusations  lodged  against  Christians  after  the 
charge  of  incendiarism  no  longer  served.  Besides,  St. 
Paul  had  not,  so  far  as  we  know,  been  in  the  city  when  so 
much  of  it  was  burned  to  ashes.  A  fair  inference  from  his 
words  is  that  he  was  able  to  clear  himself  of  any  and  every 
charge  as  that  of  an  "evil-doer."  This  in  his  estimate  was 
much  for  the  sacred  cause  that  he  represented,  and  it  was 
a  splendid  triumph  at  such  a  bar,  over  which  Tigellinus  may 
have  presided.  Back  to  his  prison  he  would  be  led.  Then 
it  is  that  Luke  is  found  with  him  and  he  has  the  solace  of 
visits  from  Eubulus;  from  Pudens  the  Senator,  from  Linus, 
who  is  named  as  one  of  the  early  presbyters  and  from  Claudia, 
supposed  to  be  related  to  both. 

The  ultimate  grounds  on  which  the  death-sentence  was 
given  in  St.  Paul's  case  are  altogether  unknown  to  us. 
AH  that  we  can  say  is  that  it  was  passed  upon  him  in  the 
only  form  in  which  it  was  fitting  that  a  Roman  should  die, 
by  the  sword. 

Within  the  record  of  Scripture  we  do  not  find  a  single 
allusion  either  to  the  fact  or  the  mode  of  his  death,  beyond 
his  own  sure  anticipation  of  it  as  at  hand.  Such  circum- 
stances as  are  known  to  us,  we  gather  from  other  sources. 
The  first  notable  testimony  with  regard  to  it,  we  meet  with 
in  the  letter  of  the  Roman  Clement.  Writing  from  Rome 
in  A.  D.  96,  some  thirty  years  only  after  the  event,  he  traces 

no 


Paul  in  Rome 

his  sufferings  to  "envy  and  jealousy,"  suggesting  rather 
that  his  own  countrymen  might  have  had  much  to  do  with 
it.  And  he  closes  his  testimony  with  these  words  "having 
borne  his  testimony  before  the  rulers,  he  was  taken  from 
the  world  and  went  to  the  holy  place,  having  become 
the  greatest  example  of  endurance."  As  the  actual  place 
of  his  martyrdom  must  have  been  perfectly  well-known  in 
Clement's  time,  there  is  no  call  to  mention  it.  The  later 
allusion  in  that  same  epistle  to  the  many  sufferers  of  that 
age  implies  that  it  took  place  in  Rome.  As  to  this  there 
never  has  been  any  question,  even  as  there  is  no  evidence 
to  the  contrary. 

The  next  testimony  comes  to  us  from  Dionysius  of  Corinth, 
who,  writing  to  the  Romans  in  A.  D.  170,  writes  of  both 
Apostles  as  having  met  their  death  "in  the  same  place." 
The  Roman  presbyter  Caius  is  even  more  express  than 
either  Clement  or  Dionysius,  using  the  words,  "if  thou  wilt 
go  to  the  Vatican  or  out  on  the  Ostian  Way,  thou  wilt  find 
the  monuments  of  the  men  who  founded  this  Church."  The 
existence  of  these  trojece  as  they  are  called,  at  a  much 
earUer  period  is  thereby  distinctly  implied.  Three  such 
testimonies  amply  prove  that  the  early  Church  was  at  one 
in  beheving  Rome  to  have  been  the  place  of  the  triumphant 
death  of  St.  Peter  as  well  as  St.  Paul. 

Much  as  we  desire  to  be  able  to  fill  in  the  details  of  St. 
Paul's  last  experiences  as  he  was  led  forth  from  his  prison 
to  the  place  of  his  execution,  we  have  no  evidence  on  which 
we  can  surely  rely.  If  we  could  be  certain  that  it  was  from 
the  Mamertine  prison  that  the  Aposde,  manacled  and 
under  guard,  set  out  that  morning,  we  can  see  the  little 
company  passing  through  the  Forum,  up  the  Velia,  having 
on  their  right  the  Temple  of  Vesta  with  the  smoke  from  its 
perpetual  fire  faintly  visible,  the  Temple-tomb  of  the  great 
Julius  with  its  beautiful  marble  facings,  next  the  Regia, 
seat  of  all  the  Pagan  worship  in  the  city,  above  the  towering 
arches  of  CaHgula's  Palace,  then  the  Golden  House  right 

III 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

and  left,  the  colossal  statue  of  Nero  in  its  vestibule,  on  the 
left  the  lake,  where  the  Colosseum  afterwards  stood,  the 
Coelian,  where  St.  Paul  had  been  consigned  to  the  captain 
of  the  guard,  the  Porta  Capena,  by  which  he  had  entered 
the  city,  and  then  out  by  the  Rudusenlan  Gate,  near  to  that 
great  section  of  the  Servian  Wall,  seen  to-day  on  the  slope 
of  the  Aventine  and  within  sight  of  the  house  of  Aquila  and 
Priscilla.  One  object  must  have  stood  out  before  him,  as 
he  left  the  Servian  Wall  with  its  gate  behind  him,  the  pyramid 
of  Caius  Cestius  far  more  beautiful  then,  with  its  fine  marble 
slopes  than  it  is  to-day.  No  St.  Paul's  gate,  of  course,  was 
there,  as  we  find  it  now.  The  pyramid  stood  out  in  one  of 
two  great  lines  of  tombs  all  along  the  way,  reminding  all 
that  passed  of  the  death  that  closes  in  all  Hfe's  labors.  It 
is  the  one  object  on  that  last  march  that  we  can  be  sure  St. 
Paul  looked  upon  within  an  hour  or  so  of  his  martyrdom. 
The  winding  Tiber  might  have  been  distinctly  traced.  The 
slope  to  the  left  of  the  great  Basilica  which  came  to  be  set 
up  in  his  honor,  with  its  cross-road  to  the  old  Appian  Way, 
was  next  passed.  The  bridge  where  two  ways  met  was 
soon  reached  and  the  condemned  prisoner  with  his  guard 
is  led  along  the  road  on  the  left,  branching  off  to  Lauren- 
tium.  A  mile  or  so  along  that  Laurentian  road  a  quiet 
hollow  is  reached  with  its  pine-grove  in  close  proximity  to 
a  villa  of  Agrippina.  And  there,  on  the  site  now  known 
as  the  Three  Fountains,  the  halt  was  made.  Three  chapels 
occupy  the  spot  and  the  whole  enclosed  space,  with  garden 
and  other  buildings,  is  in  the  hands  of  Trappist  Monks, 
who  have  on  them  the  vow  of  silence,  except  when  they 
serve  others. 

The  question  here  presses  for  an  answer,  but  why  should  the 
execution  of  this  noted  prisoner  have  taken  place  here,  so  far 
from  the  city?  When  I  began  to  study  the  various  sites  in 
and  around  the  city  connecting  themselves  with  the  Apostles, 
I  was  puzzled  with  the  distance  from  Rome  of  this  supposed 
site  of  St.  Paul's  death.     I  did  not  feel  it  to  be  at  all  suffi- 

112 


Paul  in  Rome 

cient  proof,  when  I  was  told  that  early  tradition  had  placed 
the  scene  of  the  martyrdom  of  this  great  confessor  in  that 
quiet  hollow,  a  little  way  off  from  the  main  road,  leading  to 
a  great  Roman  watering-place.  There  was  something 
no  doubt  in  the  fact  that  so  unusual  and  so  distant  a  spot 
should  have  been  chosen,  if  it  were  not  the  true  one.  There 
was  besides,  no  other  spot  in  Rome  or  its  vicinity  that  has 
been  put  in  competition  with  it.  We  can  discard  at  once, 
of  course,  as  unworthy  of  beUef  the  legend  that  the  Apostle's 
head,  on  being  severed  from  his  body  by  the  sword,  leapt 
three  times,  and  each  time  made  water  spring  up  from  the 
soil  which  it  touched. 

There  was  no  need  happily,  to  invent  the  miraculous  at 
this  point.  The  water,  flowing  water,  was  there  in  abun- 
dance from  an  earlier  period,  known  as  the  "Aquae  Salviae," 
supposed  to  have  had  that  name  given  to  it  from  the  family 
to  which  the  property  belonged.  Otho,  who  succeeded  Nero, 
was  one  of  its  descendants  and  might  well  have  occupied 
property  there. 

When  one  looks  round  on  the  site,  it  seems  in  many 
respects  adapted  as  a  place  of  execution.  It  lies  off  two 
main  roads,  the  one  to  Ostia,  the  other  to  Laurentium, 
one  of  them  lined  with  tombs  far  out  into  the  Campagna. 
It  was  entirely  out  of  the  city  and  yet  not  so  far  off  as  to  be 
difficult  to  reach  on  foot  in  an  hour  and  a  half  or  thereby. 
The  bodies,  after  consignment  to  the  friends,  could  be  car- 
ried for  burial  to  the  Ostian  road  or  its  vicinity.  While  all 
this  is  no  more  than  presumptive  evidence,  there  is  proof 
of  a  more  convincing  character  in  the  fact  that  the  site  was 
a  place  for  public  executions  at  the  time.  The  monumental 
evidence  is  unusually  weak,  so  far  as  we  have  yet  discovered 
it,  carrying  us  no  farther  back  than  the  year  689,  that  is, 
well  on  to  the  close  of  the  seventh  century.  In  that  or  in 
the  previous  year,  a  restoration  of  some  building  on  the 
site  had  become  necessary.  That  admits  of  the  suppo- 
sition that,  reaching  back  to  the  age  of  Constantine,  a 
8  11:; 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

building  might  have  stood  there  in  memory  of  the  martyr- 
dom. It  is  hardly  possible  to  question  that  a  spot  so  dear 
to  the  early  Church  could  have  been  lost  sight  of.  When 
such  care  was  taken  in  the  time  of  Constantine  to  com- 
memorate sites  that  were  linked  with  such  precious  memories, 
we  may  be  sure  that  the  spot  where  the  great  Apostle  of 
the  Gentiles  was  beheaded  was  not  forgotten.  The 
absence  of  a  memorial  in  the  earliest  period  need  not  surprise 
us,  if  the  site  continued  to  be  a  place  of  public  execution. 
It  was  only  when  the  Church  passed  out  of  its  great  tribu- 
lation that  any  memorial  of  such  an  event  could  have 
become  possible. 

A  singular  discovery  was  made  by  the  monks  of  the 
adjoining  monastery  as  late  as  the  year  1875,  when  they 
were  digging  foundations  for  a  water-tank.  A  mass  of 
coins  of  Nero's  reign  was  found,  along  with  several  fossihzed 
pine-cones.  This  discovery  corresponds  with  a  statement 
that  is  met  with  in  an  apocryphal  version  of  the  Acts  of 
St.  Paul,  by  an  unknown  author,  to  the  effect  that  St.  Paul 
was  beheaded  under  a  stone-pine.  The  Aquae  Salvias  are 
also  connected  with  the  event  by  the  same  authority.  These 
different  items  of  evidence,  though  of  no  great  value  apart, 
when  we  put  them  together  warrant  the  belief  that  in  that 
quiet  pine-grove,  alongside  of  a  great  Roman  highway,  this 
noble  servant  of  Christ  laid  his  head  on  the  block,  no  marble 
column  as  you  see  it  represented  to-day  in  one  of  these 
chapels,  but  probably  an  ordinary  stump  of  a  tree.  There 
he  calmly  and  resolutely  laid  down  his  life  and  from  that 
very  spot  passed  up  into  the  presence  of  Him  from  whom 
he  received  the  "crown  of  righteousness." 

As  to  the  site  of  his  burial  we  can,  to  some  extent,  serve 
ourselves  of  the  evidence  presented  as  to  the  spot  of  his 
execution.  The  grave  was  not  likely  to  be  far  from  the 
block.  When  the  sword  had  done  its  work,  there  must 
have  been,  as  was  usual,  some  one  there  representing  the 
friends  to  claim  his  remains.     Prominent  among  the  few 

114 


Paul  in  Rome 

around  him  in  his  last  imprisonment  had  been  St.  Luke. 
Besides  those  others,  whose  names  are  given,  there  is  room 
for  a  considerable  number  within  the  phrase  ''all  the 
brethren."  It  is  hardly  likely  that  any  of  the  more  promi- 
nent m.embers  of  the  Christian  Church  would  have  stood 
beside  the  Apostle  in  the  execution  of  his  sentence,  when 
the  hand  of  the  persecutor  had  fallen  so  heavily  on  the 
leaders.  Some  of  the  humbler  members  of  the  community 
might  easily,  with  no  great  risk,  have  accompanied  him 
from  his  prison-door  to  the  very  spot  where  he  was  beheaded. 
His  remains  were,  no  doubt,  tenderly  and  reverently  borne 
to  the  appointed  grave.  Early  tradition  has  connected 
with  these  last  offices  the  name  of  a  Roman  lady  of  position, 
who  owned  ground  in  the  triangular  space  that  then  lay 
between  the  main  Ostian  road  and  a  branch  of  it  between 
the  Tiber  and  the  Ponticello.  Just  where  stands  the  high 
altar  of  the  BasiHca  of  St.  Paul,  outside  the  walls,  were  laid 
the  Apostle's  remains  in  a  built  tomb,  which  had  been 
already  prepared,  probably  not  for  him,  but  for  its  owner. 
In  as  few  w^ords  as  possible  I  must  now  give  you  the  evidence 
of  that  beHef. 

First  of  all,  the  site  accords  with  the  testimony  of  Caius, 
the  presbyter,  of  the  beginning  of  the  third  century  and 
pointing  well  back  into  the  second.  It  is  on  the  Ostian 
Way.  No  other  spot  has  ever  claimed  the  honor  of  being 
the  place  of  St.  Paul's  burial.  The  excavations  of  1850, 
for  the  foundations  of  the  baldacchino  over  the  high  altar 
have  brought  to  us  the  assurance  that  the  grave  was  by 
itself,  surrounded  with  columbaria  of  the  classical  period 
and  the  inscriptions  on  their  marble  slabs.  The  site  was 
private  ground,  surrounded  with  pagan  tombs.  The  early 
tradition  is  thus  confirmed  in  its  main  point. 

A  personal  experience  of  one  of  our  best-known  archeolo- 
gists.  Professor  Lanciani,  comes  in  to  confirm  the  evidence. 
In  December,  1891,  he  tells  us,  in  his  "Rome,  Christian  and 
Pagan,"  that  he  was  lowered  down  under  the  high  altar 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

on  to  the  flat  slabs  of  marble  covering  the  actual  tomb.  On 
one  of  these  slabs  placed  rather  negligently  in  a  slanting 
direction  he  found  the  words  engraved  "Paolo  Apostolo 
Mart."  He  beheves  the  lettering  to  be  of  the  fourth  century, 
which  makes  it  possible  for  it  to  date  from  Constantine's 
age.  The  absence  of  any  trace  of  the  sarcophagus  of  solid 
bronze  said  to  have  been  put  there  by  Constantine,  points 
to  the  rifling  of  the  tomb  in  846  A.  D.,  on  the  invasion  of 
the  Saracens.  Gregorovius  has  no  doubt  of  the  rifling, 
nor  even  of  the  desecration  of  St.  Paul's  tomb  at  that  time. 
The  slanting  slab  seems  to  bear  its  testimony  to  the  fact. 
It  win  occur  to  you  that  there  is  a  very  simple  way  whereby 
that  question  can  be  settled,  by  a  reverent  yet  careful 
examination  of  the  tomb.  If,  in  that  case,  it  should  be 
discovered  that  no  trace  of  the  martyr's  remains  can  be 
found,  we  can  still  hold  to  the  belief  that  once  they  were 
there.  In  the  now  generally  accepted  account  of  the 
removal  of  the  remains  of  both  Apostles  to  the  crypt  in  the 
Sebastian  Catacomb  on  the  Appian  Way,  about  the  year 
258,  to  save  them  from  the  hand  of  the  persecutor,  we  have 
another  confirmation  that  the  Vatican  and  Ostian  sites 
were  the  original  ones.  Their  restoration  to  their  own 
crypts  came,  according  to  some,  after  an  interval  of  one 
year  and  seven  months;  according  to  others,  after  forty 
years.  The  twenty-ninth  of  June,  the  day  fixed  in  the 
Roman  Calendar  for  commemoration  of  the  death  of  both 
Apostles  was  probably  fixed  in  connection  with  their  removal 
from  the  Sebastian  Catacomb  and  their  deposition  in  their 
respective  crypts.  In  the  closing  words  to  Timothy  there 
is  a  request  of  St.  Paul  that  makes  it  most  unHkely  that  his 
martyrdom  and  burial  took  place  in  the  month  of  June. 
The  winter  was  at  hand,  "do  thy  diHgence  to  come  before 
winter."  It  is  hardly  possible  that  the  summer  and  autumn 
had  stifl  to  run  their  course  before  the  issue  came.  The 
actual  date  is  quite  uncertain.  The  probabilities  are  all 
in   favor  of  the  late   autumn  or  early  winter.     Possibly 

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Paul  in  Rome 

Timothy  and  Mark  did  not  arrive  in  time  to  minister  to 
him  in  his  last  hours.  What  recent  excavations  have  made 
clear  to  us  is  that  he  was  laid  in  a  tomb  by  itself,  round 
which  no  catacomb  could  ever  be  found.  The  soft  soil  on 
the  Tiber  bank,  often  inundated,  was  far  more  suitable  for 
columbaria  than  catacombs.  The  site,  originally  nearer 
the  branch  road  than  the  main  one,  was  far  less  prominent 
than  we  have  been  wont  to  suppose.  Away  on  the  edge 
of  a  comparatively  unfrequented  way,  in  a  tomb  not  his 
own,  amid  columbaria  containing  the  ashes  of  pagans,  the 
great  Apostle  of  the  Gentiles  was  laid  to  rest.  The  spot 
well  became  him,  who  was  as  remarkable  for  his  humility 
as  for  his  courage  and  constancy,  who  wrote  himself  down 
as  ''the  least  of  the  Apostles,  not  meet  to  be  called  an 
Apostle,  because  he  persecuted  the  Church  of  God,  being 
by  the  grace  of  God  what  he  was." 

When  the  Church  of  the  end  of  the  fourth  century  came 
to  erect  a  memorial  of  him,  it  did  not  take  him  at  his  own 
estimate.  The  Constantinian  Basilica  had  been  neces- 
sarily Hmited  between  the  Ostian  road  and  the  tomb  of  the 
Apostle.  It  was  replaced  by  another  in  the  end  of  that 
same  century,  worthy  in  every  respect  to  be  compared  with 
the  St.  Peter's  of  the  same  period.  The  contrast,  we  must 
not  forget,  came  in  at  a  much  later  date.  Though  so  far 
off  from  the  city,  St.  Paul's  remained  linked  with  it  for 
a  long  period  with  its  splendid  portico  of  a  thousand  col- 
umns. The  Church  even  of  the  Middle  Ages  took  great 
care  to  honor  both  Apostles,  even  when  it  gave  the  greater 
prominence  to  the  one  who  has  no  place  in  the  New  Tes- 
tament writings.  To-day  we  honor  both:  the  one,  as  the 
first  confessor  of  the  Christ  among  the  Apostles;  the  other, 
as  the  one  ''who  bore  his  name  before  the  Gentiles  and 
Kings."  The  Scroll  on  the  baldacchino  over  his  tomb — 
vas  electionis — brings  back  another  word  that  must  have 
given  him  the  needful  strength  in  his  last  hour,  "for  my 
name's  sake."     With  such  a  word  filling  his  thoughts,  this 

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Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

bearer  of  Christ's  name  passed  out  from  all  his  toils  and 
sufferings  into  the  loved  and  longed  for  presence  of  his 
Master  and  was  welcomed  with  palm  and  crown  of  victory. 

Note. — The  books  which  I  have  found  most  useful  in 
these  studies  are  those  by  the  late  Bishop  Lightfoot  on  the 
various  epistles  of  St.  Paul  and  on  the  Apostolic  Fathers,  all 
of  great  value;  by  Conybeare  and  Howson  on  St.  Paul's 
life  and  letters;  by  Archdeacon  Farrar  on  the  Hfe  and  work 
of  St.  Paul;  Dean  Merivale's  St.  Paul  at  Rome;  Bishop 
Moule's  commentaries  on  St.  Paul's  epistles  in  the  Cam- 
bridge Bible  Series,  also  Studies  of  these  epistles  by  the 
same  author;  Sir  Wm.  Ramsay's  Church  in  the  Roman 
Empire  and  St.  Paul,  the  Traveller  and  Roman  Citizen; 
Professor  Lanciani's  Rome,  Christian  and  Pagan;  Professor 
Marucchi's  Memories  of  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul  (in  Italian); 
the  Bulletins  of  the  Christian  Archeological  Society  (in 
Italian);  the  exhaustive  work  of  Professor  Attilio  Profumo 
on  "The  Sources  of  the  Fire  and  Persecution  of  Nero;" 
Dr.  Knowling's  Testimony  of  St.  Paul  to  Christ:  various 
articles  in  Hastings'  Bible  Dictionary  on  the  life  of  St. 
Paul  and  related  subjects. 


Africa 

By  Bishop  J.  C.  Hartzell 

Africa  is  so  large  a  theme  and  suggests  so  many  interesting 
subjects  that  I  have  been  at  a  loss  to  know  how  to  occupy 
the  remaining  part  of  the  evening  to  the  best  advantage. 
Any  one  of  a  dozen  themes  could  be  selected,  each  equally 
interesting.  I  could  speak  of  the  continent,  the  oldest  and, 
in  many  respects,  the  most  interesting,  or  of  the  people,  or 
of  old  Egypt  itself,  or  of  the  marvelous  things  which  have 
occurred  in  North  Africa,  or  of  the  native  religions,  or  give 
in  detail  the  recent  and  wonderful  history  of  the  division  of 
the  continent  among  the  nations  of  Europe;  or  the  time 

ii8 


Africa 

could  be  easily  occupied  with  a  summary  of  the  missionary 
work  being  done,  or  an  hour  could  be  easily  spent  in  telling 
of  the  missionary  work  under  my  own  supervision.  But  it 
seems  to  me  that  the  time  at  my  disposal  can  best  be  used 
in  giving  a  general  view  of  the  continent,  and  of  its  people, 
and  of  the  recent  providential  events  which  have  transpired, 
seeking  in  all  I  say  to  emphasize  the  proposition  that, 
Africa  to-day  presents  God^s  latest  and,  in  some  respects,  his 
greatest  challenge  to  the  Christian  church. 

I  beg  of  you  to  remember  that  Africa  is  not  a  country,  but 
a  continent  containing  many  countries.  It  is  very  difficult 
for  us  to  have  any  adequate  conception  of  how  large  the 
continent  is.  We  say  it  has  12,500,000  square  miles,  but 
it  is  impossible  to  comprehend  w^hat  that  means.  It  is 
6,000  miles  from  Cape  Bon  on  the  Mediterranean  to  Cape 
Agulhas,  the  most  southerly  point.  From  Cape  Verde  on 
the  west,  it  is  5,000  miles  to  Cape  Guardafui  on  the  east. 
Comparisons  wall  help  us  some.  You  may  take  the  United 
States,  with  its  90,000,000  of  people,  and  place  it  on  the 
southern  end  of  the  continent;  and  China,  with  its 
400,000,000,  and  India  with  its  350,000,000,  and  place  them 
side  by  side  on  the  heart  of  the  continent,  and  have  room 
enough  left  between  them  and  the  Mediterranean  Sea  to 
put  nearly  all  the  countries  of  Europe.  Her  rivers  and 
valleys  are  wonderful  to  study.  The  old  Nile,  with  its 
tributaries,  includes  more  than  10,000  miles  of  navigable 
rivers.  On  the  west,  the  Niger  drains  a  great  section  of  as 
rich  territory  as  there  is  in  the  world;  and  the  magnificent 
Congo  and  its  tributaries  include  more  than  10,000  miles 
of  navigable  waterways.  The  whole  continent  is  a  vast 
plateau,  rising  from  the  surrounding  seas  gradually,  the 
average  being  3,000  feet  above  the  sea.  In  sections  the 
plateau  rises  to  5,000  and  6,000  feet,  and,  in  the  midst  of 
the  highest  plateau,  are  some  of  the  most  lofty  mountains 
in  the  world. 

Her  great  lakes  are  as  large  as  those  of  North  America. 
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Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

In  gold,  the  continent  is  the  richest  in  the  world.  Johan- 
nesburg is  a  splendid  city  of  over  200,000  people,  and  there 
is  as  much  gold  in  sight,  still  untouched,  as  there  is  money 
in  circulation  on  the  earth.  Nine-tenths  of  the  diamonds 
of  the  world  come  from  Africa.  In  many  sections  the  agri- 
cultural possibihties  are  great.  There  are  large  sections  of 
as  fine  territory  on  which  to  raise  cattle  as  there  are  in  any 
other  country.  On  the  west  coast  her  vast  areas  of  oil  palm 
trees,  perennial  in  their  growth,  have  been  a  source  of  wealth 
for  centuries. 

North  Africa  has  a  wonderful  history.  There  is  Egypt, 
with  its  eighty  centuries  of  national  life,  and  then  Tripoli 
and  Tunis,  and  Algeria,  and  Morocco,  where  empires  have 
risen  and  fallen,  where  the  early  Christian  church  had  her 
greatest  triumphs  for  three  hundred  years,  and  the  homes 
of  St.  Augustine  and  Cyprian,  and  Tertullian,  and  St. 
Anthony,  the  founder  of  monastic  orders.  South  of  Egypt 
is  Abyssinia,  a  vast  empire  where  we  have  the  remnants  of 
the  North  Africa  Christian  church.  This  is  one  of  the  oldest 
empires  in  the  world  and  has  never  been  conquered. 

The  rulers  are  Caucasian  and  Semitic  in  their  origin. 
In  Abyssinia  is  to-day  being  laid  the  foundations  of  the  first 
great  modern  black  empire.  Stretching  almost  across  the 
continent  is  the  great  Sahara  Desert.  Modern  science  will 
enlarge  its  productive  oases,  and,  like  the  desert  of  which 
we  used  to  read,  between  the  Mississippi  River  and  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  the  Sahara  will  largely  pass  away,  and  be 
replaced  by  productive  lands  and  thriving  centers  of  pop- 
ulation. Central  Africa,  the  heart  and  largest  part  of  the 
continent,  has  wonderful  possibilities.  Below  the  Zambesi 
is  South  Africa;  on  the  east  the  Portuguese  have  ports  and 
territory.  On  the  west  the  German  flag  floats  over  a  ter- 
ritory nearly  twice  as  large  as  the  German  Empire.  Under 
the  British  flag  we  have  Cape  Colony,  Natal,  Orange  River 
Colony,  the  Transvaal,  Bechuanaland  and  Rhodesia. 
Here  is  to  be  the  United  States  of  South  Africa  under  the 

120 


Africa 

British  flag.  In  these  colonies  over  1,000,000  white  people, 
as  brainy  and  progressive  as  there  are  on  earth,  live  and  are 
developing  a  powerful  center  of  Anglo-Saxon  civilization 
whose  influence  will  move  northward  in  all  that  stands  for 
the  best  types  of  civilization. 

It  is  generally  supposed  that  Africa  is  a  thickly  populated 
continent,  but  this  is  not  so.  The  latest  estimates  of 
population  are  163,000,000,  and  if  there  be  12,500,000 
square  miles,  that  means  only  thirteen  persons  to  every 
square  mile.  Then  when  we  remember  that  this  population  is 
gathered  practically  in  a  few  great  centers,  chiefly  along  the 
coasts,  we  must  think  of  Africa  as  a  vast  area  of  the  earth 
yet  to  be  occupied  by  population.  Outside  of  the  1,000,000 
white  people  in  South  Africa,  there  are  probably  not  250,000 
white  people  in  that  vast  continent.  There  are  perhaps 
300,000  Indians  along  the  east  coast,  and  it  looks  as  if  eastern 
Africa  is  to  be  to  the  overflowing  population  of  India  what 
the  United  States  has  been  to  Europe.  In  all  the  chief  towns 
are  found  Greeks  and  Italians,  and  in  the  great  centers  of  the 
colonies  Jewish  intelligence  and  thrift  are  well  represented. 

As  to  numbers,  it  is  manifest  that  Africa  is  the  black  man's 
continent.  There  are  now  about  one  hundred  blacks  to 
one  white  man,  and  there  is  little  probability  that  that  pro- 
portion will  be  much  changed,  even  when  the  population 
increases  to  hundred  of  millions.  Just  as  the  destiny  of 
the  Chinese  race  has  to  be  worked  out  in  China,  and  that 
of  India  in  India,  and  of  Japan  in  Japan  and  its  de- 
pendencies, so  the  future  place  and  influence  of  the  sons 
of  Ham  are  to  be  wTought  out  on  the  African  continent. 

The  native  peoples  of  Africa  are  rightly  classed  among  the 
less  favored  races  of  the  world,  and  I  use  the  phrase  "less 
favored"  thoughtfully.  The  time  has  passed  for  us  to 
speak  of  "inferior  races."  Who  shall  say,  in  the  centuries 
to  come,  which  race  will  hold  the  place  of  powder?  Who 
would  have  dreamed,  fifty  years  ago,  that  Japan  should 
have  accomplished  what   she   has   in  the  last  ten  years, 

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Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

taking  her  place  with  such  dignity  and  evidences  of  per- 
manent power,  among  the  great  nations  of  the  world? 
Give  the  native  one  thousand  years  and  then  let  him  be 
judged.  Two  thousand  years  ago  the  Anglo-Saxon  gave 
little  promise  of  his  present  position  in  the  world. 

Africa  is  the  last  continent  to  "be  reached  by  Christian 
civilization.  Why  this  delay?  True,  Egypt  has,  perhaps, 
the  most  ancient  of  civilizations  and  her  influence  extended 
far  up  the  Nile.  Abyssinia  was  at  one  time  powerful, 
ruling  a  part  of  Egypt  and  sending  her  armies  into  Asia, 
but  these  countries  were  only  a  little  corner  of  the  continent, 
and  were  more  Asiatic  than  African.  A  little  company  of 
Phoenicians  went  around  the  continent  centuries  before  the 
birth  of  Christ.  The  early  Roman  Empire  made  North 
Africa  one  of  the  most  powerful  centers  of  the  world,  and 
later  on  beginnings  were  made  where  Capetown  now  is,  and 
explorations  were  made  along  the  coasts,  east  and  west. 
Still  the  great  continent  with  its  vast  multitudes  was  un- 
known. For  thousands  of  years,  we  know  not  how  many, 
those  native  peoples  babbled  in  many  languages,  fought 
their  battles,  lived  and  died,  unknown  to  the  w^orld. 

Why  this  long  delay  ?  Why  was  it  that  when  civilization 
started  westward,  it  passed  along  the  shores  of  the  Med- 
iterranean, then  northward  and  civilized  Europe,  but  left 
Africa  practically  untouched?  Why  was  it  that  so  many 
great  expeditions,  undertaken  to  invade  Africa  from  the 
North,  East,  and  West,  through  the  centuries,  failed, 
sacrificing  hundreds  of  thousands  of  lives,  or,  mingling  their 
blood  with  the  native  population,  were  absorbed,  losing  their 
identity?  Only  recently,  practically  within  fifty  years,  has 
Africa  come  to  be  known  to  the  world.  Again  I  ask,  why 
has  this  been  so?  The  political  economists  will  tell  you 
that  not  until  now  has  the  world  needed  Africa.  The  men 
of  commerce  will  tell  you  that  because  of  the  physical  for- 
mation of  the  continent,  by  which  its  rivers,  as  a  rule,  are 
not  navigable  far  from  the  coasts,  the  continent  could  not 

122 


Africa 

be  civilized  until  the  railroad  age  had  come.  Others  will 
give  other  reasons,  but  there  is  one  answer  to  this  question, 
which  covers  them  all:  God's  time  for  Africa  had  not  come. 
As  I  have  said,  Africa  is  the  black  man's  continent  and  the 
black  man  has  been  the  slave  of  semi-barbaric  and  civilized 
races  from  time  immemorial.  In  our  own  day  the  great 
Christian  nations  have  had  a  part  in  this  world-crime  against 
humanity.  God  did  not  open  up  the  continent  to  the  world 
until  African  slavery  had  passed  away  and  until  the  moral 
sense  of  the  leading  nations  of  the  world  had  risen  high 
enough  so  that  the  black  man  could  have  a  fair  chance 
among  his  fellow-men.  In  the  meantime,  the  Christian 
Church  was  advancing  along  the  lines  of  high  purpose  and 
plan  to  carry  the  gospel  to  all  men,  as  indicated  in  the 
wonderful  missionary  movements  during  the  past  century. 
To-day  is  God's  fulness  of  time  for  Africa.  The  thoughtful 
world  has  come  to  understand  that  history  has  a  missionary 
interpretation.  In  all  the  underlying  forces  which  have 
founded  tlurones,  and  republics,  and  organized  civilizations, 
and  in  turn  annihilated  them,  spiritual  and  moral  influences 
have  been  the  chief;  and  we  know  that  in  the  history,  for 
example,  of  nations  and  continents,  it  is  the  long  con- 
vergence of  providential  influences  which  has  made  great 
events  possible  and  certain. 

How  marvelously  has  this  "fulness  of  time"  for  Africa 
been  emphasized  in  recent  years  by  great  events.  No 
other  continent  in  the  world  has,  in  the  brief  space  of  half 
a  century,  witnessed  such  remarkable  events  as  has  Africa. 
Exploration  had  done  its  work  partially  and  we  knew  the 
coast,  and  a  few  great  travelers  had  threaded  their  ways 
through  different  parts  of  the  continent,  but  not  until 
Livingstone  journeyed  north  from  Kuruman  to  the  Zambesi, 
and  west  to  the  Atlantic,  and,  back  across  the  continent 
eastward,  discovering  on  the  way  the  wonderful  Victoria 
Falls,  and  had  written  his  story,  burdened  as  it  was  with  the 
convictions  of  a  great  soul,  and  full  of  exact  information, 

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Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

was  the  world  really  startled  as  to  the  possibilities  of  Africa. 
Since  then,  the  exploration  of  the  continent  has  been  prac- 
tically completed  and  we  see  it  as  a  whole,  not  only  in  outline 
but  in  detail,  and  study  its  physical  pecuHarities  and  possi- 
bilities, as  well  as  the  conditions  of  all  its  people. 

Then  what  a  marvelous  event,  that  a  whole  continent 
should  be  divided  up  between  a  few  European  nations,  and 
those  nations  should  enter  at  once  upon  the  work  of  devel- 
oping continental  colonial  empires,  giving  of  her  best 
statesmen  and  vast  sums  of  money  in  carrying  out  their 
subHme  purposes — and  all  this  without  war  among  them- 
selves. At  no  other  time  in  the  history  of  the  world  was 
international  diplomacy  in  such  a  state  as  to  make  this 
possible.  Take  the  map  of  Africa  and  notice  where  the 
flags  of  these  different  nations  fly.  Italy  has  a  little  patch 
north  of  Abyssinia;  Portugal  has  large  possessions  on  both 
east  and  west  coasts;  Belgium  has  the  great  Congo  valley, 
equal  to  another  Mississippi  valley.  Would  to  God  that 
the  best  men  of  that  country  could  take  possession  of  the 
Congo  and  rule  it!  The  German  flag  floats  over  four 
protectorates  which  together  are  four  and  one-half  times 
larger  than  the  German  Empire  in  Europe;  France  has 
the  largest  number  of  square  miles,  over  4,000,000,  and  in 
North  Africa  is  developing  a  colonial  empire,  the  magnitude 
of  w^hich  the  world  knows  little  of.  Here  France  is  seeking 
to  regain  her  colonial  prestige  which  she  lost  in  America. 
It  is  interesting  to  note  that  the  majority  of  the  Muham- 
madans  in  Africa  will  be  under  the  French  flag.  How 
thankful  the  Christian  world  should  be  that  at  the  time  when 
that  vast  colonial  power  is  expanding,  the  French  nation 
has  broken  from  Jesuitism  and  stands  for  religious  Hberty. 

The  British  flag  floats  over  the  largest  proportion  of 
valuable  territory  in  Africa.  I  have  already  referred  to  her 
vast  South  African  empire.  On  the  west  coast  she  has 
great  Colonies,  on  the  Gold  Coast  and  in  the  valleys  of  the 
Niger.     Here  are  empires  of  vast  extent  and  wealth.     British 

124 


Africa 

East  Africa,  including  the  plateau  region  in  which  is  located 
the  Uganda  region,  and  in  Central  Africa,  beyond  the 
valley  of  the  Nile,  where  British  influences  dominate,  are 
sections  where,  in  the  very  near  future,  are  to  be  mars^elous 
developments.  Last  of  all,  by  the  late  treaty  between 
France  and  England,  all  Egypt  is  practically  a  British 
colony,  and,  under  Lord  Cromer,  has  in  twenty-five  years 
risen  to  a  degree  of  prosperity  and  wealth  hardly  dreamed 
possible.  In  fifty  years  Great  Britain's  most  prosperous 
Colonies  will  be  in  Africa.  With  the  exception  of  little 
Liberia  on  the  west,  and  Abyssinia  on  the  east,  the  whole 
continent  is  under  the  flags  of  alien  peoples,  who,  in  the 
providence  of  God,  have  gone  in  to  take  possession  of  the 
continent,  develop  its  resources  and  give  the  benefits  of 
government  to  its  vast  population.  It  has  been  my  privilege 
to  be  under  nearly  all  these  flags  in  Africa,  and  to  know 
many  of  the  governors  representing  different  nations,  and  to 
study  the  policies  representing  the  sentiment  in  the  various 
European  capitals.  I  am  glad  to  be  able  to  say  that  on  the 
whole  the  men  sent  out  are  fair-minded  men,  not  a  few  of 
them  active  Christians,  and  that  the  policies  which  they 
are  given  to  carry  out  are  not  only  wise  in  a  commercial  way, 
but  seek  to  conserve  the  best  interests  of  the  natives.  Some 
nations  are  better  than  others  because  more  experienced 
in  colonial  matters.  There  is  one  notable  exception,  and 
that  is  the  Congo  Free  State  where  the  fundamental  laws 
as  relating  to  the  natives  are  wrong,  and  where  there  is  need 
of  immediate  and  radical  reform.  But  what  a  marvelous 
event  it  is,  that  in  twenty-five  years  in  this  vast  continent, 
governmental  authority  should  be  established  throughout 
its  entire  vast  domain,  and  that  all  those  governments  should 
be  Christian! 

Then  consider  a  moment  the  methods  of  transportation 
between  Africa  and  the  other  continents,  especially  Europe. 
There  are  over  twenty  steamship  lines  with  nearly  three 
hundred  steamships,  representing  hundreds  of  millions  of 

125 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

capital,  all  engaged  in  carrying  to  Africa  the  products  of 
human  industry  from  the  older  centers  of  civilization,  espe- 
cially in  Europe ;  and  taking  from  Africa  her  products  in  gold, 
diamonds,  ostrich  feathers,  copper,  cotton  and  ivory,  and, 
more  than  all,  the  products  from  the  native  forests  of  palm 
oil,  and  kernels,  and  fibers,  and  rubber,  gathered  by  the 
native  peoples  and  carried  on  their  heads  down  to  the  coast. 
Only  a  beginning  in  this  commercial  development  is  made. 
There  are  hundreds  of  thousands  of  tons  of  copper  north  of 
the  Zambesi,  at  one  mine,  waiting  for  shipment.  In  upper 
Abyssinia  there  are  millions  of  pounds  of  coffee  waiting  for 
a  railroad  to  the  coast.  Science  is  centering  its  beneficent 
influence  upon  Africa.  It  is  the  latest  scientific  methods 
of  mining  gold  that  have  made  the  Transvaal  the  chief  gold 
center  of  the  world,  and  it  will  hold  this  record  probably  for 
a  hundred  years.  It  is  the  latest  scientific  methods  of 
agriculture,  with  its  steam  plows  and  scientific  study  of  soils, 
vegetation  and  irrigation,  that  are  developing  agricultural 
centers.  Schools  of  medicine  in  Liverpool,  London,  Berlin 
and  elsewhere,  are  mastering  the  malarial  diseases  of  the 
continent,  while  Dr.  Koch,  the  German,  and  other  scientists, 
are  mastering  the  diseases  of  cattle  and  of  plants.  Every 
phase  of  native  life  is  being  studied  by  speciaHsts,  and 
systems  of  education  for  both  whites  and  native  blacks  are 
being  introduced.  What  marvelous  events  are  these,  and 
how  wonderful  their  significance!  When  God's  time  for 
a  continent  comes,  how  the  forces  of  the  civilized  world 
center  upon  that  continent  and  open  the  way  for  the  king- 
dom of  God. 

Here  then  is  Africa,  vast  in  area,  with  multiplied  millions 
of  people,  with  civilized  and  Christian  governments  estab- 
lished, with  lines  of  transportation  developing,  so  that  in 
a  few  years  every  part  of  the  continent  can  be  easily  reached. 
Yet  the  Christian  religion,  outside  of  the  white  population  in 
South  Africa,  and  a  few  missions  established  here  and  there, 
has  scarcely  touched  this  vast  section  of  the  earth.     Bar- 

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The  Home  Department 

baric  heathenism  reigns  supreme  in  the  midst  of  more  than 
100,000,000  people.  The  followers  of  the  Crescent,  en- 
trenched by  many  centuries,  are  native  Africans  themselves, 
part  and  parcel  of  the  continent,  and,  numbering  their  hosts 
by  many  millions,  are  determined  to  grasp  Africa  for 
Muhammadanism.  Here  is  God's  challenge  to  the  Christian 
Church.     Will  she  heed  it? 


The  Home  Department 

By  Dr.  W.  A.  Duncan 

I  thank  you,  Mr.  President,  for  your  courteous  and 
kindly  introduction  as  ''The  Father  of  the  Home  Depart- 
ment," with  the  request  that  the  "white  lilies  of  Italy" 
blossom  here  to-night  in  this  beautiful  Chautauqua  salute. 
And  to  you  brethren,  beloved  members  of  this  great  world- 
wide convention,  assembled  here  in  Old  Rome,  for  your 
enthusiastic  response,  greetings: 

It  is  now  twenty-six  years  since  the  "Home  Class" 
movement  was  started  by  the  speaker  in  New  York  State, 
in  1 88 1.  It  w^as  the  first  attempt  to  organize  and  recognize 
vagrant  Bible  study  in  connection  with  the  Sunday-schools, 
and  to  offer  through  the  "Home  Class"  and  its  "Home 
Class  visitor, "  systematic  study  of  the  International  Sunday- 
school  lessons,  stimulated  by  the  visitation  and  supervision 
of  a  whole  community. 

"The  purpose  or  aim  of  the  Home  Department  is  to 
offer  the  open  Bible  by  the  hand  of  the  living  Home  Class 
Visitor"  to  every  home,  man,  woman,  and  child  not  con- 
nected with  any  other  department  of  the  Sunday-school." 
Its  field  of  operation  is  found  among  those  who  for  any 
reason  cannot,  or  will  not,  attend  the  regular  Sunday-school 
services.  In  most  parishes,  they  number  at  least  70  per  cent 
of  the  whole  population. 

Robert  Raikes  and  all  his  followers  bounded  their  schools 
by  the  four  walls  of  a  Sunday-school  room.     The  Home 

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Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

Department  makes  it  as  large,  or  larger,  than  the  parish, 
and  is  organically  connected  with  the  main  school,  as  the 
various  other  departments  are.  Its  members  and  visitors 
have  the  same  recognition  and  standing  as  the  teachers  and 
members  of  the  other  departments  have,  and  are  under 
the  watch  and  care  of  both  church  and  school.  In  1 88 1-2 
I  devised  and  introduced  the  "Home  Class  Visitor "  to  the 
Christian  Church. 

The  Church  and  school  had  the  preacher  and  the  teacher, 
with  their  functions,  but  never  before  had  there  been  a 
visitor  Kke  the  present  "Home  Class  Visitor,"  offering  con- 
tinuous and  efficient  supervision  of  classes  and  communities. 
It  was  the  mother  of  the  Cradle  Roll.  It  has  been  adopted 
by  all  the  denominations  and  nearly  all  of  them  issue  Home 
Department  quarterlies. 

The  Baptists  in  all  branches  issue  annually  100,000,  the 
Presbyterians  100,000,  the  Methodists  200,000,  and  others 
in  similar  quantities.  Wilde  Co.,  David  C.  Cook  Co.,  and 
The  Sunday  School  Times  issue  quarterlies,  or  weeklies, 
that  are  largely  used  in  Home  Class  study.  We  have 
to-day,  in  round  numbers,  500,000  Home  Department 
members  in  15,000  churches,  and  50,000  "Home  Class 
Visitors,"  who  will  make  2,000,000  calls  this  year,  raise 
$100,000  for  missions  and  leave  2,000,000  quarterlies  in  the 
homes  of  the  students. 

New  York  State  will  report  at  Watertown  next  month, 
80,000  members  and  "Home  Class  Visitors,"  500  conver- 
sions, and  $15,000  raised  for  missions.  Massachusetts 
reports  more  than  one-half  of  all  its  schools  organized  with 
Departments.  Pennsylvania  is  making  an  effort  to  organize 
at  once  one-third  of  its  6,000  schools.  Indiana,  Illinois, 
New  Jersey,  Vermont,  and  other  states  are  making  rapid 
advance,  and  old  England  reports  here  to-day  an  advance 
of  50  per  cent  in  the  last  year,  and  are  to  start  a  Home 
Department  Quarterly  this  year.  The  Italian  Conference 
here  to-day  adopted  the  work  officially,  and  Dr.  Blackall 

128 


The  Home  Department 


has  given  them  all  of  his  splendid  Home  Department 
pxhibits  for  their  own  use.  . 

mia  toh  of  them  sitting  here  in  this  convention,  are  usmg 
Ua^d  teen  years  ago'began  publishing  "^^^  - 
"Home  Study,"  as  the  result  of  av.sjt  and  «'*  finanaa^ 
helo  from  the  speaker  as  Chairman  of  the  I.  a  D.  A  and 
a  J^toTv  issuing  several  thousand  of  these  Home  helps 
t^ich  go  into  Russia  with  the  consent  of  the  censors  of  the 
press  and  are  used  bv  the  "Students."  Australia,  under 
&dership  of  the  Rev.  Loyal  L.  Wirt,  has  begun  the 

Department  secretary  here,  who  has  one  townshtp  twenty 
miles  square  with  every  home  touched  l°vm^y  b)  the 
Sessed ''Home  Class  Visitor."  Vermont,  New  York  Sta  e, 
Souri,  Oklahoma,  and  other  states  have  many^  oca 
similar  conditions.  In  Oklahoma  one  man  and  h,s  wife 
held  out  against  the  "Home  Class"  canvass  until  t  last 
Sired  a  servant  girl  to  live  at  his  l>°--d  attend  Sud 
school,  that  he  might  be  in  harmony  with  his  Sunday  school 
neighbors   all  of  whom  attended.  . 

Sw  York  City  has  many  Departments  numbering  ^ome 
X  ooo  each;  so  has  Boston,  Chicago,  and  many  small  r  c  t^s 
a'nd  even  towns  like  Opelika  Ala  have  from  oo  to  x, ooo 
"Home  Class"  members.  Atlanta  has  a  Police  Uepari 
mtt   LoSlle,  Ky.,  a  Trolley  Department,  and  the  lady 

I2Q 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

superintendent  is  here  in  Rome.  Hospitals,  homes  for  the 
aged,  orphan  asylums,  prisons,  reformatories,  all  have  had 
remarkable  "Home  Class"  work  done  in  them. 

In  this  very  city,  as  my  address  to-day  before  the  German 
and  Italian  Conferences  shows,  Peter  and  Paul  carried  on 
the  ''Home  Class"  work  of  visitation,  teaching  and  preach- 
ing, in  the  homes  of  this  old  "Eternal  City."  This  work 
helps  to  make  better  homes,  better  fathers  and  mothers, 
better  boys  and  girls,  and  better  day-school  teachers. 
Some  one  has  said  that  every  boy  and  girl  has  a  right  to 
demand  of  the  community  in  which  they  live,  the  oppor- 
tunity to  become  as  good  a  man  or  woman  as  their  natural 
possibilities  will  permit,  and  the  "Home  Class  visitor"  is 
pledged  to  help  every  home,  every  mother,  father,  boy, 
and  girl,  and  teacher  to  do  their  work  better. 

I  wonder  if  you  ever  read  that  most  beautiful  of  all 
modern  tales  of  child  hfe,  "The  Bonnie  Brier  Bush," 
where  Maister  Jamieson,  the  old  Scotch  schoolmaster 
receives  a  letter  from  Geordie,  the  student,  in  the  University 
of  Edinburgh,  telling  him  that  he  had  passed  his  examina- 
tions and  taken  a  medal  at  the  university.  With  this 
letter  in  one  hand  and  his  old  walking  staff  in  the  other, 
he  hurries  up  the  hillside,  as  he  never  hurried  before, 
cutting  a  thistle  blossom  at  every  stroke  of  his  cane,  till  at 
last  he  stands  on  the  top  of  the  hill  by  the  side  of  the  cotter's 
Httle  home,  by  the  side  of  the  "Bonnie  Brier  Bush"  and 
the  seat  where,  alas,  too  soon  Geordie,  the  student,  is  to  pass 
his  last  summer  days  away,  by  the  side  of  Margaret,  the 
mother.  What  a  picture  is  this — the  stern  old  school- 
maister  and  the  loving  mother,  talking  together  about 
the  boy  in  the  university!  Looking  into  her  eyes  he  says, 
"  It's  ten  years  ago  at  the  brak  up  o'  the  winter  ye  brought 
him  down  to  me,  Mrs.  Hoo,  and  ye  said  at  the  schule-house 
door,  'Dinna  be  hard  on  him,  Maister  Jamieson;  he's  my 
only  bairn,  and  a  wee  thingie  quiet.'"  The  old  school- 
maister  had  never  forgotten  the  mother's  request,  and  his 

i.^o 


The  Home  Department 

own  pledge  to  deal  tenderly  yet  justly  with  the  wee  laddie, 
so  lovingly  placed  under  his  care,  and  later,  when  Geordie 
lay  dying  in  that  same  humble  little  Scottish  home,  he 
sent  for  Maister  Jamieson,  and  after  some  touching  farewell 
words,  prayed  in  a  low,  soft  voice  with  a  little  break  in  it, 
''Lord  Jesus,  remember  my  dear  maister,  for  he's  been 
a  kind  freend  to  me  and  mony  a  puir  laddie  in  Drumtochty. 
Bind  up  his  sair  heart  and  give  him  licht  at  eventide,  and 
may  the  maister  and  his  scholars  meet  some  mornin'  where 
the  schule  never  skails,  in  the  kingdom  o'  oor  Father." 
And  who  can  doubt  but  that  Geordie's  prayer  was  answered, 
and  Jesus  was  good  to  Maister  Jamieson,  when  he  saw 
him  in  the  shining  city,  as  he  will  be  good  to  any  of  you  who 
are  good  here  below  to  the  boys  and  girls  under  your  care. 

"  Sow  in  the  morn  thy  seed, 
At  eve  hold  not  thy  hand, 
To  doubt  or  fear,  give  thou  no  heed, 
Broadcast  it  o'er  the  land." 

Dr.  Duncan  said  at  Italian  and  German  Conjerences  on 
this  Work. 

Beloved  Co-workers,  Greeting: 

When  Moses  was  making  laws  for  the  life  of  a  people 
which  he  was  to  build  into  a  nation  of  famihes,  he  wrote  in 
the  Book  of  Deuteronomy  as  follows: 

"Thou  shalt  teach  them  dihgently  unto  thy  children,  and 
shalt  talk  of  them  when  thou  sittest  in  thine  house,  and  when 
thou  walkest  by  the  way,  and  v;hen  thou  liest  down,  and 
when  thou  risest  up." 

So  it  came  to  pass,  that  under  this  command,  every  house 
held  a  Mosaic  Home  Class,  taught  daily  by  the  father,  sup- 
plementing temple  and  synagogue  ritual,  building  families 
into  a  people,  and  that  people  into  a  nation,  so  that  to  this 
day  a  hundred  persecutions  and  dispersions,  with  their 
baptisms  of  fire  and  blood,  have  not  been  able  to  wipe  out 

131 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

a  race,  a  nation  of  families,  whose  religious  faith  had  been 
taught  in  family  home  classes,  at  every  Hebrew  fireside. 

Christ  himself,  at  Nazareth,  was  thus  taught  in  the  home, 
and  so  he  was  able  in  the  temple  to  amaze  the  scribes  and 
Pharisees  by  his  knowledge  of  the  Scriptures,  and  in  the  wil- 
derness he  resisted  the  temptations  of  Satan  by  quoting  thrice 
from  the  Old  Testament:  ''It  is  written,  It  is  written.  It  is 
written."  During  his  ministry  he  sent  out  seventy  disciples, 
by  twos,  that  they  might  carry  the  gospel  to  the  homes  of 
the  people,  and  bade  them  remain  with  those  that  received 
them,  but  to  remove  the  dust  from  their  feet  where  they 
were  not  kindly  received.  He  did  this  ''that  his  house 
might  be  full." 

The  apostles  followed  the  same  plan  later,  and  we  are 
told  in  Acts  5:42,  that  when  they  were  permitted  to  go  free, 
though  commanded  to  refrain  and  be  silent,  "daily  in  the 
temple,  and  in  every  house,  they  ceased  not  to  teach  and 
preach  Jesus  Christ."  We  are  told  that  so  successful  was 
this  house-to-house  visitation  and  temple  teaching,  that 
they  brought  hundreds  of  their  sick  and  laid  them  in  the 
streets,  that,  in  passing  by,  the  shadow  of  Peter,  the  apostle, 
our  first  Home  Class  Visitor,  might  fall  upon  some  and, 
perchance,  heal  them.  Many  modern  Home  Class  Visitors 
have  likewise  been  a  blessing  to  the  sick  and  needy  as  they 
have  visited  the  homes  of  the  poor. 

Later,  in  Acts  20:17,  we  find  the  heroic  Paul,  the  apostle 
to  the  Gentiles,  at  Miletus,  on  his  way  to  Jerusalem  from 
this  very  city  of  Rome,  holding  a  seashore  review  of  his  two 
years'  work  at  Ephesus  with  his  Home  Class  members  from 
that  Gentile  city,  many  of  whom  afterward,  no  doubt,  w^re 
cast  to  the  wild  beasts  by  Nero's  order  in  the  theater  at 
Ephesus,  as  Paul  himself  later  met  death  here  at  Rome, 
outside  the  city  gates,  by  the  order  of  that  same  cruel  tyrant. 

Listen  to  Paul  as  he  tells  them  how  that  for  "the  space  of 
three  years"  (Acts  20:31)  he  ceased  not  to  warn  every  one 
night  and  day,  with  tears,  and  taught  them  "  publicly,  and 

132 


The  Home  Department 

from  house  to  house"  (Acts  20:20).  Paul  was  the  second 
great  apostohc  Home  Class  Visitor.  Dear  old  apostolic 
feader!  no  wonder  the  faithful  Ephesian  elders  threw  their 
arms  around  your  neck,  and  wept  bitterly  because  they 
should  see  your  face  no  more.  "Behold,"  he  says,  "I  go 
bound  in  the  spirit  to  Jerusalem,  not  knowing  the  things 
that  shall  befall  me  there,  save  that  the  Holy  Ghost  wit- 
nesseth  in  every  city,  saying  that  bonds  and  afflictions  abide 
me.  But  none  of  these  things  move  me,  neither  count  I 
my  life  dear  unto  myself,  that  I  might  finish  my  course  with 

joy,  and testify  the  gospel  of  the  grace  of  God." 

And  later,  here  in  the  old  Eternal  City  of  Rome,  who  can 
doubt  but  that  these  two  great  apostles,  with  the  old-time 
friendship  restored,  renewed  their  house-to-house  visitation, 
daily  visiting  and  teaching,  in  every  house,  Jesus  Christ  and 
him  crucified,  until  at  last,  Paul  beyond  the  gates,  and  Peter 
in  Nero's  garden,  where  the  great  cathedral  of  St.  Peter  now 
stands,  they  won  the  victory  and  earned  the  martyr's  crown, 
laid  up  not  only  for  them,  but  for  all  those  who  love  and 
await  his  appearing.  I  stood  yesterday  at  both  places  with 
a  meek  and  reverent  heart  and  bared  head,  and  thanked 
God  for  their  examples  as  leaders  in  this  blessed  work  of 
touching  the  homes  and  lives  of  the  common  people. 

Carey  Bonner,  our  great  musical  leader  in  this  convention, 
told  us  that  ninety  per  cent  of  the  hymns  of  the  early  Chris- 
tian Church  were  hymns  of  the  home,  written  for  and  sung 
in  their  morning  devotions  and  evening  vespers;  and  Dr. 
Gray,  in  his  two  great  lectures  before  thfe  convention,  told 
us  that  in  those  days,  here  in  Rome,  the  old  dotnicile  or 
domicilium,  with  its' center  and  open  court,  was  the  place 
where  the  early  disciples,  as  families  and  churches,  met  and 
held  their  services  of  song  and  gospel,  worshiping  and 
teaching.  They  had  no  other  basilica  but  their  homes. 
They  had  no  temple,  either  in  Jerusalem,  at  Ephesus,  or 
here  at  Rome.  They  had  to  match  home  against  temple. 
So  here  in  Rome,  to-day,  with  three  hundred  and  sixty-five 

133 


The  Home  Department 

churches  and  cathedrals  against  your  score  or  more  of 
churches,  you  have,  at  least,  10,000  Protestant  homes  open 
to  you,  and  many  times  that  in  Italy  and  France.  The 
little  family  Home  Class,  of  the  order  of  Moses,  taught  by 
the  father  or  mother,  and  organically  connected  with  your 
existing  schools,  or  little  neighborhood  classes,  where  the 
neighboring  children  can  be  gathered  together  on  a  Sunday 
morning,  and  study  the  lessons  under  some  teacher  or  Home 
Class  Visitor,  officially  selected,  will  help  you  solve  your 
difficulty,  as  it  helped  Peter  and  Paul  in  apostolic  days. 

Your  beloved  Italian  Secretary,  Signor  Odoardo  Jalla, 
who  is  acting  as  my  interpreter,  was  present  in  1891  here  in 
Rome,  when  I  met  with  the  ItaHan  Sunday-school  National 
Committee  at  the  second  sitting. 

I  have  here  his  official  report  of  that  meeting,  which  I  came 
from  Naples  to  attend  ,  at  the  invitation  of  Bishop  William 
Burt  and  others.  Dr.  H.  Piggott,  President  of  the  Italian 
National  Committee,  Rev.  Dr.  J.  Gordon  Gray,  of  Rome, 
Italy,  Rev.  Drs.  Prochet  and  McDougal,  of  Florence,  were 
present.  Your  work  was  then  in  its  infancy  and  had  neither 
Bibles  nor  lesson  helps. 

In  this  printed  record  which  I  hold  in  my  hand,  on  ''The 
Sunday-school  Literature  for  Italy,"  dated  Rome,  Italy, 
May  18-23,  1907,  folio  twelve,  he  says: 

"In  the  autumn  of  1891,  at^  sitting  of  the  Sunday-school 
National  Committee,  we  had  the  pleasure  to  have  with  us 
Dr.  W.  A.  Duncan,  of  Syracuse,  New  York,  'Father  of  the 
Home  Department,'  who  proposed  a  plan  to  provide  funds 
for  the  publishing  of  an  'Illustrated  Leaflet'  to  be  dis- 
tributed every  Sunday,  for  helping  the  children  to  learn 
their  verses  at  their  homes. 

"In  order  to  cover  part  of  the  expenses  for  printing,  he 
generously  offered  to  help  1000  lire  annually  (and  an  equal 
sum  to  Dr.  Clark,  of  Prague,  Bohemia,  for  a  similar  pub- 
hcation  in  Prague,  to  be  called  'Pomucka'  or  the  'Home 
Study').     He  presented  this  generous  offer  as  a  Christian 

134 


The  Home  Department 

offering  to  the  land  of  Columbus,  in  connection  with  the 
fourth  centenary  of  the  discovery  of  America.  He  also  gave 
us  then  a  whole  series  of  colored  illustrated  leaflets  used  in 
America,  to  attract  and  please  Italian  children,  and  a  set  of 
Dr.  Peloubet's  and  Dr.  Hurlbut's  lesson  helps  for  the  use  of 
the  Itahan  Lesson  Committee.  These  leaflets,  so  precious 
to  our  scholars,  have  numbered  5,000  and  6,200  yearly  copies 
from  1892  to  this  day,  and  have  entered  that  many  Itahan 
Homes  annually  ever  since,  as  Home  Class,  or  Home 
Department  literature." 

These  good  secretaries,  Odoardo  Jalla  and  Dr.  Fihppini, 
will  help  you.  Signor  Jalla  has  already  promised  to  edit 
a  monthly  Home  Department  column  in  your  Sunday-school 
reading  paper,  and  I  have  given  him,  to  aid  him  in  the  work, 
all  these  Home  Department  requisites  which  I  hold  in  my 
hand,  and  the  three  best  books  on  history  and  methods,  viz. : 
Dr.  M.  C.  Hazard's  History  and  Normal  Methods,  fifty  cents, 
issued  by  The  Pilgrim  Press,  Boston,  Mass.,  U.  S.  A.;  Mrs. 
Flora  V.  Stebbins'  new  book  on  "The  Home  Department 
of  To-day,"  just  issued  by  The  Sunday  School  Times  Co., 
Philadelphia,  Pa.,  price  twenty-five  cents,  which  is  the  best 
of  its  kind  to  date;  and  a  little  Blue  Book  by  C.  D.  Meigs, 
of  Indianapolis,  Ind.,  U.  S.  A.,  of  which  125,000  have  been 
sold,  price  five  cents  each.  Dr.  Blackall  has  to-day  kindly 
promised  Signor  E.  Filippini,  Italian  Sunday-school  Secre- 
tary, all  his  splendid  Home  Department  exhibits  from  all 
the  denominational  houses  in  the  United  States  for  your  use. 
Those  samples  will  give  your  Committee  everything  we  have, 
and  these  you  can  revise  and  remodel  so  as  to  serve  Italy 
best.  They  are  the  result  of  twenty-five  years  of  success- 
ful experiment  and  development  along  these  Home  Depart- 
ment lines  in  the  United  States,  and  are  worthy  of  careful 
study. 

The  following  resolutions  were  passed  by  the  Italian 
Conference  and  delivered  to  Dr.  Duncan,  personally,  before 
leaving  Rome: 

135 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

Rome,  Italy,  May  21,  1907. 
W.  A.  Duncan,  Ph.D., 

Rome. 
Dear  Sir: 

The  Italian  Conference  desires  to  express  to  you  its  high 
appreciation  for  the  important  address  you  delivered  this 
morning  on  the  subject,  ''The  Home  Department  of  the 
Sunday-school,"  and  desires  also  to  assure  you  that  we  will 
call  the  attention  of  our  National  Committee  to  this  impor- 
tant subject,  and  will  ask  this  Committee  to  study  how  we 
can  adopt  in  Italy  the  same  methods. 

On  behalf  of  the  Italian  Conference, 
Carlo  M.  Fireen,  Secretary. 


Quiet  Half-Hour 

Led  by  G.   Campbell  Morgan 

Our  Master,  we  are  gathered  about  thee  as  were  the 
seven  beside  the  Sea  in  the  morning  light  long  ago,  and  we 
are  as  full  of  frailty  as  were  they,  and  thou  art  as  full  of 
love  and  power. 

We  come  to  thee  this  morning,  and  we  thank  thee  that 
we  are  at  least  able  to  say  to  thee  with  one  of  them  of  old, 
''Lord,  thou  knowest  that  we  love  thee."  And  though  our 
love  be  as  yet  but  the  warm  human  emotion,  we  thank  thee 
for  this  measure  of  it,  and  we  do  desire  to  rise  into  that 
higher  love  all  full  of  the  light  and  passion  which  is  forever- 
more  held  by  principle  and  truth.  And  so  we  pray  thee  to 
lead  us  to  that  higher  height.  Help  us  to  see  how  patiently 
willing  thou  art  to  answer  this  prayer,  and  if  we  have  been 
afraid,  and  have  become  contented  with  our  lot  for  very 
fear  that  we  cannot  reach  the  higher,  speak  to  us  the  word 
which  will  at  once  rebuke  and  yet  encourage  us. 

O  Lord  and  Master  of  us  all,  whate'er  our  name  or  sign, 
we  pray  thee  in  this  half  hour  that  we  may  see  no  man, 
save  Jesus  only.     Oh,  to  hear  thy  voice  and  to  see  the  light 

136 


A  Half-Hour  with  Campbell  Morgan 

of  thine  eye,  and  be  anew  assured  of  thy  tenderness  and  thy 
power.     This  we  ask  in  thine  own  name.     Amen. 

I  want  this  morning  to  turn  your  attention,  beloved,  to 
a  passage  with  which  I  am  sure  you  are  all  familiar,  and 
which,  therefore,  I  am  not  going  to  read.  It  is  to  be  found 
in  the  Gospel  according  to  John,  the  end  of  the  thirteenth 
chapter  and  the  first  of  chapter  fourteen.  It  is  a  story  of 
that  last  conversation  that  Jesus  had  with  his  own  disciples. 
And  may  I  say,  first  of  all,  that  this  message  came  to  my 
heart  with  great  comfort  yesterday  morning,  as  I  sat  here 
with  you  and  listened  to  Mr.  Meyer.  I  felt  in  my  deepest 
soul  something  of  fear  as  he  spoke  to  us.  We  all  thanked 
God  for  the  word;  we  need  to  be  reminded  of  that  higher 
love  which  our  Lord  is  seeking  to  create  in  our  experience, 
and  till  we  arrive  at  which  he  never  can  be  perfectly  satis- 
fied, and  therefore  we  never  ought  to  be  satisfied.  And 
yet  I  think  I  voice  the  consciousness  of  some  of  us  when 
I  say  that  as  we  thought  of  that  agape,  that  highest  love  of 
all,  we  all  were  afraid,  conscious  of  our  ow^n  failure  and  of 
our  own  weakness  and  of  our  own  frailty.  And  it  is  because 
of  that  fear  which  was  in  my  own  heart — not  for  your  sake, 
but  for  myself — and  because  I  felt  there  wxre  others  who 
might  share  that  fear,  I  want,  if  I  may,  to  bring  you  back 
to  the  thing  that  happened  by  the  Lake;  one  of  the  things 
that  reveal  the  process  by  which  our  Master  dealt  with  the 
B ©anergic  character  and  made  it  what  he  would  have  it  be. 

In  this  instance  we  have  a  remarkable  illustration  of  how 
much  we  have  suffered  by  the  dividing  of  our  Bible  into 
chapters.  To  begin  at  the  fourteenth  chapter  is  to  break 
in  upon  the  middle  of  the  speech  of  Jesus.  "Let  not  your 
heart  be  troubled."  We  miss  half  the  beauty  and  half  the 
glory  of  that  grand  word  because  we  do  not  read  it  in 
intimate  connection  with  that  which  precedes  it.  Our 
Lord  has  gathered  his  own  together,  and  here  we  have  what 
we  have  come  to  speak  of  as  the  "Pascal  discourses."  He 
is  telling  them  of  his  own  going;  he  is  about  to  tell  them  of 

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Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

the  coming  of  the  Spirit;  he  is  about  to  show  them  the  mag- 
nificence of  that  vital  relationship  existing  between  himself 
and  them  by  the  coming  of  the  Spirit,  and  in  the  midst  of 
this  first  section  of  the  discourse  he  is  interrupted  by  Peter 
and  Thomas  and  Philip  and  by  Jude.  It  is  a  perfectly 
natural  and  beautiful  conversation.  But  unless  we  remem- 
ber these  disturbances,  these  breakings  in  upon  the  con- 
versation of  Jesus,  we  shall  miss  its  power. 

Christ  is  telling  them  that  he  is  going  away.  He  had  been 
talking  to  them  for  some  weeks,  even  months,  concerning 
the  necessity  for  his  cross,  and  there  had  come  a  sense  of 
distance;  they  were  afraid  of  him — afraid  of  the  strange 
things  he  was  saying  to  them.  And  now,  gathering  them 
together  in  the  upper  room,  he  is  going  into  greater  detail. 
He  teUs  them  that  he  is  going  away,  and  Peter  first  breaks 
in  upon  the  conversation  with  this  question,  "Lord,  whither 
goest  thou?"  That  is  Peter's  question.  And  Christ 
answers  him  by  saying,  "Whither  I  go  thou  canst  not 
follow  me  now,  but  thou  shalt  follow  me  afterwards." 
And  Peter  looked  at  him  and  said,  "Lord,  why  cannot 
I  follow  thee  even  now? "  Just  here  is  the  best  thing  Peter 
had  ever  said  to  this  moment.  Don't  charge  him  with 
boastfulness.  "I  will  lay  down  my  hfe  for  thee."  What 
did  Jesus  say  in  answer  to  that?  "Wilt  thou  lay  down 
thy  life  for  me?  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  thee,  the  cock 
shall  not  crow  until  thou  hast  denied  me  thrice.  Let  not 
your  heart  be  troubled;  ye  believe  in  God,  believe  also  in  me. 
In  my  Father's  house,  are  many  mansions;  if  it  were  not  so 
I  would  have  told  you.  I  go  to  prepare  a  place  for  you." 
You  ask  me  where  I  am  going.  "  I  go  to  prepare  a  place  for 
you,  and  I  will  come  again  and  receive  you  unto  myself, 
that  where  I  am  ye  may  be  also."  That  was  Christ's 
answer — not  merely  "before  the  cock  crow,  thou  shalt  deny 
me  thrice" — that  was  the  first  part  of  his  answer.  He  con- 
tinued; there  was  no  break.  He  did  not  say,  "Chapter 
fourteen.     Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled."     I  know  the 

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A.  Half-Hour  with  Campbell  Morgan 

number  of  the  pronouns  differs  here.  He  is  speaking  to 
Peter,  then,  ''let  not  your  heart  be  troubled."  You  remem- 
ber another  occasion  when  Jesus  changed  the  number  of 
the  pronouns.  "Peter,  Satan  hath  desired  to  have  you, 
but  I  have  prayed  for  thee  (singular)  that  thy  faith  fail  not." 
But  the  singular  number  does  not  exclude  all  the  other 
disciples  from  the  prayer  of  Jesus.  So  here  the  plural 
number  does  not  exclude  Peter  from  the  comfort  of  this. 

Now,  brethren,  it  seems  to  me  that  that  story  read  quietly 
bears  its  own  message  to  you.  Peter's  question  was 
geographical:  "Lord,  where  goest  thou?"  Presently 
Thomas  broke  in  and  said,  "We  don't  know  where  you  are 
going;  how  can  we  know  the  way?"  Philip  says,  "Lord, 
show  us  the  Father  and  that  sufhceth  us."  Christ  said, 
"None  of  you  ask  me  whither  I  go,"  but  that  is  what  they 
had  been  asking.  That  is  to  say,  Christ  was  hmited,  unable 
to  say  his  deepest  and  best  to  these  men  because  they  were 
unable  to  understand.  Their  questions  were  questions  of 
pure  love  and  pure  devotion.  Their  questioning  marked 
their  devotion  to  him,  but,  my  brethren,  it  was  a  love  on  the 
lower  level.     How  did  Christ  deal  with  these  men  ? 

Again  we  single  Peter  out.  Christ  said  to  him,  "Peter, 
you  do  not  yet  know  yourself.  There  are  things  within 
you  of  which  you  are  unconscious.  Right  there  within  that 
nature  of  yours  is  that  which  presently  will  make  you  deny 
me  before  the  cock  crow;  before  the  light  of  another  morning 
breaks  upon  the  world  you,  Peter,  devoted  to  me,  earnestly 
meaning  what  you  say,  that  you  are  prepared  to  die  for  me, — 
before  the  light  of  another  day  breaks,  you  will  have  denied 
me  thrice.  Peter,  I  know  the  very  worst  that  is  in  you — 
I  know  it  perfectly.  Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled.  You 
have  asked  me  where  I  am  going:  I  am  going  to  the  Father, 
and  I  am  going  to  prepare  a  place  for  you."  Reverently 
let  me  say  this,  for  if  there  is  one  thing  that  is  being  borne 
in  upon  my  heart  and  soul,  it  is  Christ's  majestic  and 
audacious  claims  for  himself.     He  looked  into  the  face  of 

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Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

a  man  and  said,  you  have  within  you  the  making  of  a  traitor, 
and  before  the  day  break,  I  know  that  the  evil  thing  in  you 
will  master  the  good,  and  you,  honestly  intending  to  die  for 
me,  will  deny  me,  but  I  will  see  that  you  reach  the  place 
that  I  have  prepared.  I  will  come  again  and  receive  you 
in  spite  of  the  worst  in  you.  I  will  realize  the  best  in  you. 
I  know  the  worst,  you  will  deny  me.  I  know  the  best,  that 
great  devotion  that  is  prepared  to  die  for  me.  And,  knowing 
the  worst  and  the  best,  Peter,  I  have  but  one  thing  to  say  to 
you;  trust  me,  and  I  will  master  the  worst  and  realize  the 
best,  and  I  will  put  you  at  last  by  my  side  in  the  light  to 
which  I  go. 

My  brothers  and  sisters,  I  think  that  perhaps  a  multipK- 
cation  of  words  would  be  out  of  place.  That  is  the  message 
that  came  to  my  heart  yesterday  morning  with  comfort. 
I  pass  it  on  to  you,  as  a  word  out  of  my  own  inner  spirit. 
Oh,  the  comfort  of  it!  The  comfort  of  knowing  that  he 
knows  me.  In  my  own  life  I  am  less  and  less  inclined  to 
criticize  the  failure  of  my  brothers  and  sisters.  There  was 
a  time  when  I  could  preach  about  Judas  as  I  cannot  do  it 
now.  I  have  found  the  making  of  a  traitor  in  my  own  blood, 
and  I  have  come  to  the  deliberate  conclusion  that  if  I  had 
been  with  him  in  those  last  days,  I  would  have  left  him 
before  these  men  did.  But,  oh,  the  comfort  of  knowing 
that  he  knows  the  worst  in  me,  the  undiscovered  thing  in  me 
which  may  flame  up  into  treason — vast  reaches  in  this 
marvelous  personality  of  mine  that  I  know  nothing  of  this 
morning.  I  do  not  know  myself,  but  he  knows  me,  and  he 
knows  the  worst  that  is  in  me.  And  this  is  the  thing  that 
comes  to  my  heart  as  an  evangel.  Oh,  such  an  evangel! 
He  looks  at  me  this  morning  and  says  ''Trust  me.  I  know 
not  only  the  worst;  I  know  the  best,  and  I  know  that  in  your 
heart,  in  spite  of  all  your  failure  and  the  possibility  of  evil 
that  lurks  within  you,  there  is  the  love  that  is  low;  it  is 
burning,  and  I  can  make  that  little  flame  of  love  that  often 
manifests  itself  in  smoke  into  the  white  clear  love    that 

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Truths  for  Children 

burns  and  never  fades.  I  can  bring  you  and  put  you  fault- 
less before  the  presence  of  my  Father's  glory.  Let  not  your 
heart  be  troubled." 

May  we  not  take  that  as  a  message  to  ourselves?  And 
yet,  brethren,  you  remember  Mr.  Meyer's  word  yesterday 
morning.  Did  you  not  hear  it  all  day?  It  rang  in  my 
heart  and  soul  hour  after  hour  when  none  other  heard, 
"  Then  we  ought  to  love."  Then  where  is  my  responsibihty  ? 
''Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled,  ye  beheve  in  God,  trust 
me."  And  this  morning,  so  far  as  my  eyes  are  open  to  see 
between  this  poor  frail  self  with  all  its  possibilities  of  evil, 
and  the  white  resplendent  light  of  the  Father's  presence, 
there  stands  that  One  mighty  to  save,  strong  to  deliver,  who 
quenches  passion's  fires  and  breaks  the  chain  of  sin  and  sets 
me  free,  and  I  have  none  other  that  I  can  do  but  to  trust 
him.     May  God  help  us  all  to  trust. 

Foundation    Truths  for    Children 

By  Mrs.  Mary  Foster  Bryner 

''And  the  king  commanded,  and  brought  great  stones, 
costly  stones,  and  hewed  stones,  to  lay  the  foundations  of 
the  house."  Nothing  but  the  best  would  do  for  the  founda- 
tions of  that  house,  because  Solomon  was  building  a  temple 
unto  the  Lord. 

"We  are  building  day  by  day 
Temples  the  world  may  not  see. 
Building,  building  every  day, 
Building  for  eternity." 

And  we  are  to  desire  that  we  shall  so  build  that  our  sons 
may  be  corner-stones,  and  our  daughters  polished  after 
the'  similitude  of  a  palace,  that  they  may  be  living  temples 
for  the  indwelhng  of  his  Spirit. 

The  best  years  for  foundation  building  are  childhood's 
years.     All  enter  life  through  childhood's  portals;  all  do  not 

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Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

live  through  youth,  and  adult  years.  The  Sunday-school 
membership  includes,  about  half  of  it,  the  children  under 
their  teens.  And  often  we  hear  it  stated  that  about  one- 
third  of  the  Sunday-school  may  be  found  in  the  classes  under 
ten  years  of  age.  We  sometimes  say  the  average  Sunday- 
school  life  is  from  seven  to  ten  years  in  different  sections  of 
the  country.     Are  we  retaining  the  children? 

The  original  topic  was,  ''Making  Foundation  Truths 
Plain  to  Children,"  which  naturally  divides  itself  into  three 
parts.  We  must  understand  the  foundation  truths,  therefore 
we  must  study  the  Bible.  We  must  understand  the  children, 
therefore  we  must  study  the  child.  We  must  know  how 
to  make  these  truths  plain,  so  we  must  study  the  methods 
and  principles  of  teaching. 

The  foundation  truths  will  be  found  in  God's  Word.  To 
every  parent  and  teacher  we  would  say,  "Know  thou  the 
truth  thyself,  if  thou  the  truth  wouldst  teach."  Every  one 
of  us  must  live  this  truth,  for  childhood  studies  the  acts  of 
the  teachers  and  parents  more  than  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles. 
The  summary  of  the  truths  that  should  be  made  plain  to 
children  might  be  gathered  under  three  heads: 

God^s  relation  to  us; 

Our  relation  to  God; 

Our  relation  to  one  another. 

The  first  thing  that  the  helpless  little  child  must  learn 
who  enters  life,  is  the  relation  of  those  around  about  him. 
Somebody  feeds,  provides,  cares  for,  loves  that  little  child, 
and  in  return,  the  child  learns  to  give  his  love.  ''God  is 
love."  "We  love  him  because  he  first  loved  us."  "God 
cares  for  us."  "We  will  give  thanks  unto  the  Lord." 
God  guards  and  leads.  We  will  learn  to  follow  where  he 
leads.  God  forgives.  We  will  try  to  do  right.  God  is 
good  to  us;  we  will  try  to  please  him.  We  may  find  some 
of  these  truths  very  profoundly  stated  in  some  of  the  Epistles, 
but  we  also  find  them  in  such  simple  language  that  the 
youngest  child  may  appreciate  these  simple  truths.     May 

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Truths  for  Children 

I  read  to  you  a  few  such  as  I  have  been  gathering  in  our 
beginners'  course  for  the  very  youngest  children  who  attend 
our  Sunday-school.  In  the  Sunday  School  Exposition  you 
will  see  a  good  deal  of  material  that  is  marked  under  that 
head. 

Here  are  a  few  showing  God's  relation  to  us.  ''God  is 
love."  I  want  you  to  notice  that  none  of  them  have  more 
than  seven  words.  "Lord,  thou  art  our  Father."  "The 
Lord  is  good  to  all."  "The  Lord  is  my  shepherd."  "He 
careth  for  us."  "All  things  were  made  by  him."  "God 
shall  supply  all  your  need."  "God  loveth  the  cheerful 
giver."  "He  loved  us  and  sent  his  Son."  "His  name 
was  called  Jesus."  "He  went  about  doing  good."  "Jesus 
said,  Come  unto  me."  "Learn  of  me."  "Follow  me." 
"Suffer  httle  children  to  come."  "He  took  them  in  his 
arms."  "Behold,  I  make  all  things  new."  "I  am  with 
you  always." 

Could  we  express  God's  relation  to  us  any  plainer  than  in 
those  simple  Bible  verses  for  these  children  ?  Here  are  a  few 
showing  our  relation  to  God.  "We  love  him."  "Pray  to 
your  Father  in  heaven."  " Lord,  teach  us  to  pray."  "Lord 
be  thou  my  helper."  "Teach  me  thy  way,  O  Lord." 
"We  ought  to  obey  God."  "I  will  not  forget  thy  Word." 
"Praise  waiteth  for  thee."  "I  will  sing  unto  the  Lord." 
"Serve  the  Lord  with  gladness."  "Rejoice  in  the  Lord 
always."  "Enter  into  his  gates  with  thanksgiving." 
"All  have  sinned."  "Christ  died  for  our  sins."  "I  will 
be  sorry  for  my  sins."  "We  shall  all  be  changed,"  and 
a  few  others  that  show  our  relation  to  one  another. 

"Honor  thy  father  and  thy  mother."  "Children,  obey 
your  parents."  "Let  us  love  one  another."  "Little 
children,  love  one  another."  "Love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself." 
"Go,  teach  all  nations."  "Go  ye  into  all  the  world." 
"Freely  ye  have  received,  freely  give."  "Be  ye  kind  one 
to  another."  "Christ  also  pleased  not  himself."  "Let  us 
do  good  to  all." 

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Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

Each  one  of  those  little  texts,  almost  a  sermon  in  itself, 
is  a  foundation  truth  for  the  children. 

We  have  the  memory  work  for  these  children  that  brings 
before  them  these  three  thoughts  continually.  You  will 
find  in  the  Exposition  some  of  the  slips  that  show  the  work 
recommended  for  the  children  to  do  along  that  line,  and  to 
make  them  pleasant  and  attractive  we  sometimes  get  up 
these  Httle  memory  diamonds,  and  as  fast  as  the  children 
learn,  perhaps  the  Lord's  Prayer,  the  twenty-third  Psalm, 
the  first  Psalm,  and  passages  of  that  sort,  it  is  mentioned 
on  one  of  those  little  memory  diamonds;  and  I  have  seen 
on  Promotion  Day  these  children  of  Primary  age  with 
these  Bible  truths  bound  about  their  necks  showing  what 
they  have  learned. 

But  after  we  have  the  foundation  truths,  we  must  also 
learn  that  they  are  to  be  taught  to  children,  so  we  must  study 
the  child  nature  and  needs  in  order  that  we  may  provide  the 
nurture.  The  admonition  to  us  is,  ''Train  the  child  in  the 
nurture  and  admonition  of  the  Lord."  It  has  been  easier 
for  us  to  give  the  admonition  than  the  nurture  many  times. 
The  children  are  not  all  alike.  As  we  read  of  Bible  children 
we  find  this  so.  Of  John  the  Baptist  it  was  said,  "What 
manner  of  child  is  this?"  Of  Samson,  "How  shall  we 
order  this  child?"  Of  Samuel,  "As  long  as  he  liveth  he 
shall  be  lent  to  the  Lord."  Of  Timothy,  "From  a  child 
thou  hast  known  the  Scriptures,"  and  Jacob  appreciated 
childhood,  for  as  he  was  traveling  he  said,  "Lead  on  softly 
according  as  the  children  are  able  to  endure." 

And  the  children  appreciate  that  Jesus  was  once  a  child, 
"And  Jesus  grew  in  wisdom  and  in  stature  and  in  favor  with 
God  and  man." 

For  each  period  of  childhood,  we  find  there  are  different 
possibilities  and  hmitations.  The  first  three  years  are  open 
to  impressions  from  the  Sunday-school— impressions  of  this 
kind:  The  Sunday-school  loves  me.  The  Sunday-school 
remembers  me.     The  Sunday-school  wants  me,  pretty  soon, 

144 


Truths  for  Children 

for  a  scholar.  And  that  is  the  teaching  of  our  Cradle  Roll. 
If  you  could  be  in  some  of  our  schools  you  would  hear  the 
children  welcoming  those  babies  of  the  Cradle  Roll. 

"Another  new  baby  we  welcome  to-day. 
To  him  a  new  name  has  been  given. 
We  will  give  him  a  place  on  our  dear  Cradle  Roll, 
For  of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven." 

And  then  you  would  hear  those  childish  voices, 

"Heavenly  Father,  hear  our  prayer;    . 
Keep  within  thy  constant  care 
This  dear  baby  thou  hast  sent, 
To  its  loving  parents  lent." 

But  the  possibilities  increase  as  the  children  grow  a  little 
older,  and  they  may  learn  through  the  simple  story,  through 
the  picture,  through  the  songs,  and  through  the  conversation. 
The  child  must  depend  upon  others  for  all  that  he  learns, 
because  he  cannot  read  for  himself.  And  we  have  our 
beginners'  work  for  the  very  httle  children.  We  remember 
that  Paul  said,  "When  I  was  a  child,  I  spake  as  a  child,  and 
understood  as  a  child,  but  now  that  I  am  a  man  I  have  put 
away  childish  things."  But  some  of  us  adults  have  put  the 
childish  things  so  far  away  that  it  is  hard  for  us  to  appreciate 
the  limitations  and  the  possibilities  of  the  very  young  chil- 
dren. They  are  limited  in  experience,  limited  in  knowledge, 
limited  in  power  of  attention  and  concentration,  but  in 
simple  ways  we  find  that  they  can  absorb  the  foundation 
truths  and  live  them  out  day  by  day. 

We  find  then,  the  next  group  of  children  who  can  read, 
who  are  attending  school,  and  we  ought  to  take  advantage 
of  this  growing  possibility.  And  we  find  again  another 
group  who  can  not  only  read,  but  who  can  write,  and  the 
Sunday-schools  that  are  using  this  ability  of  the  children 
to  put  down  their  own  impressions  of  foundation  truths  are 
finding  that  those  children  will  retain  them  better.  We 
10  145 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

find  in  the  Exposition  books  showing  the  work  done  by  the 
children.  In  these  you  see  the  Kfe  of  Christ,  or  the  Hfe  of 
Abraham,  or  the  life  of  John  as  it  has  been  written  down 
by  those  boys  and  girls  who  have  the  ability  to  put  down  the 
impressions  that  have  come  to  them  as  they  have  been 
studying. 

Every  child  should  have  a  copy  of  the  Bible  for  himself, 
that  he  may  read  and  study  these  foundation  truths.  I  am 
glad  that  among  the  party  on  our  ship  was  a  boy  whose  class 
will  be  promoted  from  the  Primary  Department  in  about 
three  weeks,  but  because  the  boy  was  coming  on  the  trip 
his  pastor  and  teacher  presented  him  with  a  Bible  before 
he  started,  and  it  tells  the  name  of  the  Sunday-school  from 
which  it  comes.  That  boy  is  interested  in  his  Bible  because 
it  comes  from  that  teacher,  who  has  marked  it  with  ribbons 
to  help  him  understand  the  divisions  of  the  Bible. 

We  read  of  men  who  centuries  ago  traveled  many  miles 
that  they  might  lay  their  best  gifts  at  the  feet  of  a  little  Child. 
To-day  those  who  study  childhood,  and  are  bringing  to 
childhood  their  best  gifts,  may  also  be  called  wise.  Those 
measures  which  provide  for  the  child  physically,  intellect- 
ually, spiritually,  are  the  measures  that  will  grow  the 
strongest.     Parents  and  teachers, 

"Up  to  us  sweet  childhood  looketh, 
Heart  and  soul  and  mind  awake, 
Teach  us  in  thy  ways,  O  Father, 
Teach  us  for  sweet  childhood's  sake. 

In  their  young  hearts,  soft  and  tender, 
Guide  our  hands  good  seed  to  sow, 
That  its  blossoming  may  praise  thee, 
Praise  thee,  wheresoe'er  they  go." 

But  if  we  understand  the  truths,  we  must  understand  the 
children.  We  must  understand  how  to  make  these  truths 
plain  to  the  children.     Make  the  work  interesting.     The 

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Truths  for  Children 

teacher  is  the  pivotal  point  between  the  book  to  be  taught 
and  the  children  to  be  taught. 

It  is  not  enough  that  we  should  teach  these  children  to 
know,  we  must  also  train  them  to  do.  There  are  oppor- 
tunities to-day  for  teachers  to -learn  more  about  methods 
and  the  principles  of  teaching.  We  find  them  in  institutes, 
in  conventions,  in  summer  schools,  in  reading  courses,  etc., 
that  have  been  provided.  We  are  helping  these  boys  and 
girls  to  be  temples.  We  need  to  give  them  training  along 
the  hne  of  the  best  Christian  citizenship,  and  for  that  reason 
the  temperance  work  has  a  place  in  our  Sunday-school 
training.     Teach  them  early  to  repeat  something  like  this: 

"My  body  is  a  temple, 
To  God  it  does  belong. 
He  bids  me  keep  it  for  his  use. 
He  wants  it  pure  and  strong. 

"Whatever  harms  my  body 
I  will  not  use  at  all. 
Tobacco  is  one  hurtful  thing, 
And  so  is  alcohol. 

"Into  my  mouth  they'll  never  go. 
When  tempted,  I  will  answer  no. 
And  every  day,  I'll  watch  and  pray 
Lord,  keep  me  pure  and  strong  always." 

Some  are  here  at  this  Convention  who  remember  our 
motto  of  the  International  Convention  held  at  Toronto 
almost  two  years  ago,  "Winning  a  generation  for  Jesus 
Christ."  In'  every  country  we  must  win  the  children. 
Children  are  naturally  winsome  wherever  we  may  find  them. 
Do  any  of  vou  doubt  it  as  you  have  seen  the  children  of  the 
Azores,  or'  at  Algiers,  or  in  sunny  Italy?  Those  Httle 
children  that  come  up  to  you  with  a  smile  and  touch  your 
hand,  would  do  almost  any  Httle  favor  for  you.     Would 

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Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

it  be  hard  to  win  those  children?  And  they  are  bright 
children.  Well  do  I  remember  a  Sunday  about  three  years 
ago,  when  this  room  was  filled  with  the  children  from  the 
Sunday-schools  of  Rome,  and  although  the  talk  was  to 
be  given  to  them  through  an^nterpreter,  they  were  so  bright 
that  they  would  not  wait  for  the  interpreter  to  tell  them 
what  was  being  said  but  they  counted  up  on  their  fingers 
and  gave  the  answer  without  any  interpreter.  And  I  have 
found  the  children  bright  in  all  the  lands  that  I  have  been 
privileged  to  visit. 

We  sometimes  think  of  that  child  in  the  midst.  And 
perhaps  we  think  of  the  sweetest  one  in  our  home  or  in  our 
Sunday-school  class.  But  did  you  ever  stop  to  think  it 
might  have  been  a  child  of  a  darker  hue,  a  child  in  a  fisher- 
man's home,  a  child  of  Palestine,  perhaps  not  in  its  best 
clothes,  but  playing  about  the  floor.  It  was  such  a  one 
that  the  Master  picked  up  in  his  arms  and  said,  "Of  such 
is  the  kingdom  of  heaven."  ''He  took  them  in  his  arms 
and  blessed  them."  "He  shall  gather  the  lambs  in  his 
arms." 

"God  bless  the  little  children 

Wherever  they  may  be, 

Far  out  on  the  hills  and  prairies 

Across  the  boundless  sea." 

May  every  one  of  us  be  able  to  say  when  we  appear  before 
our  Lord,  "Here  I  am,  and  the  children  whom  thou  hast 
given  me." 

"The  bread  that  comes  from  heaven  needs  finest  breaking; 
Remember  this 
All  ye  who  offer  for  the  children's  taking, 

Nor  give  amiss. 
The  desert  manna,  like  to  coriander 

With  honeyed  taste 
Was  gathered  at  the  word  of  the  Commander 
With  cautious  haste. 
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The  Sunday  School  Organized 

A  small  round  thing,  and  not  in  loaves  for  eating, 

The  manna  fell. 
Each  day  the  wondrous  miracle  repeating 

As  records  tell. 

■So  break  it  small,  the  bread  of  God,  life-giving; 

The  child  is  small. 
Unskilled  in  all  the  strange,  great  art  of  living, 

That  baffles  all. 
Be  mindful  of  these  little  ones  and  feed  them 

With  living  bread. 
But  break  it  for  them,  as  you  gently  lead  them 

To  Christ,  the  Head. 
With  skill,  and  pains,  and  loving  forethought  tender, 

Provide  the  fare. 
Remember  that  their  powers  at  best  are  slender, 

For  whom  you  care. 

'Young  souls,  immortal,  claim  your  constant  tending. 

To  these  be  true. 
Be  sure  to  give  the  bread  from  heaven  descending. 

Naught  else  will  do. 
Mix  not  with  earthly  things  that  cause  destruction, 

Yet,  break  it  fine. 
Nor  let  them  lose  for  any  selfish  reason 

Their  measure  due. 
Remember,  for  their  portion  in  due  season, 

They  look  TO  YOU." 


The  Sunday-School  Organized    for    Service 

By  Marion  Lawrance 

This  is  a  day  of  organization.  Organization  is  a  magic 
word.  The  business  of  the  world  is  organized;  poHtics  is 
organized;  the  professions  are  organized;  hkewise  the 
institutions  of  learning  and  philanthropy;  and  the  Church 
must  organize  or  lose  out  in  the  race.  There  is  no  other 
way  to  keep  up  with  the  bristling,  throbbing,  high  tension 
of  our  day. 

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Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

Organization  produces  the  result  for  which  it  stands  with 
the  greatest  efficiency  and  rapidity,  and  with  the  least 
expenditure  of  money  and  labor.  Organization  is  system, 
method,  economy;  the  lack  of  organization  is  confusion. 

A  Sunday-school  is  organized  for  service  only  when  it  is 
doing  the  work  for  which  a  Sunday-school  exists,  in  the  best 
manner,  in  the  shortest  time,  and  with  the  largest  results. 
Let  us  consider  very  briefly  seven  of  the  essential  marks 
of  a  Sunday-school  which  is  organized  for  service. 

The  Sunday-school  is  a  Church  service.  Indeed,  it  is 
the  Bible  teaching  and  studying  service  of  the  Church.  It 
should  be  given  the  dignity  and  importance  of  a  Church 
service  and  the  members  of  the  church  should  all  be  con- 
nected with  it,  and  this  is  possible. 

Its  ministrations  should  extend  to  all  in  the  community 
where  it  exists,  whether  they  are  attendants  and  members 
or  not.  A  Sunday-school,  therefore,  is  not  thoroughly 
organized  for  service  unless  it  is  systematically  endeavoring 
to  reach  those  who  are  not  in  attendance,  by  means  of 
house  visitation,  personal  soHcitation,  the  Home  Department 
and  the  Cradle  Roll.  It  is  a  sin  for  a  school  to  be  smaller 
than  it  can  be. 

I.  This  is  involved  in  the  "Go"  of  the  Great  Commission 
and  no  school  will  either  grow  or  glow  until  it  learns  to  go. 
Invitation  then,  systematic,  regular,  persistent,  personal 
invitation,  is  one  of  the  marks  of  a  Sunday-school  which  is 
organized  for  service. 

II.  The  Sunday-school  stands  for  the  teaching  of  God's 
Word.  Indeed,  almost  every  other  feature  of  the  Sunday- 
school  revolves  around  Bible  teaching  as  a  center.  But  if 
we  are  to  teach  the  Word  we  must  know  the  Word.  This 
requires  Bible  study,  intelligent  Bible  study,  and  a  good 
deal  of  it.  We  must  know  likewise  the  methods  of  impart- 
ing instruction.  The  laws  of  teaching  are  fixed  and  they 
are  within  our  reach.  We  must  also  know  something  of 
the  mind  we  are  to  teach.     This  requires  much  study  and 

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The  Sunday  School  Organized 

painstaking  application  on  the  part  of  the  teacher.  It 
therefore  follows  that  if  a  teacher  would  do  the  best  work 
he  must  be  especially  trained  and  prepared  for  it. 

Fortunately,  we  need  not  seek  in  vain  for  help  in  either 
of  these  directions,  for  the  books  on  Bible  study,  the  art  of 
teaching,  and  psychology  are  numerous,  inexpensive,  and 
many  of  them  very  choice. 

There  should  be  a  systematic,  continuous  effort  on  the 
part  of  every  school  to  train  its  own  teachers  from  its  own 
ranks.  It  takes  time,  patience  and  hard  work;  but  the 
Sunday-school  that  neglects  to  prepare  its  teachers  does  so 
at  its  own  peril.  The  difference  between  drudgery  and 
pleasure  in  Sunday-school  teaching  is  largely  a  matter  of 
preparation. 

Preparation,  therefore — preparation  and  training  of  the 
teacher — is  another  mark  of  the  Sunday-school  which  is 
organized  for  service. 

III.  Our  Lord  has  told  us  to  carry  the  gospel  message 
to  the  corners  of  the  earth  and  to  every  creature.  Evidently 
there  is  no  escape  from  this  sweeping  command.  The  mis- 
sionary spirit  is  the  very  life  blood  of  the  Church.  No 
church  can  live  and  thrive  without  it.  No  Sunday-school 
can  prosper  which  endeavors  to  live  within  its  own  small 
compass. 

The  only  salvation  for  the  Church,  for  the  Sunday-school, 
or  for  any  Christian  man  or  woman,  is  to  get  a  vision  of  the 
world  through  the  eyes  of  Jesus  Christ.  It  is  for  this  we 
are  met  in  the  old  ''Eternal  City"  to-day.  It  is  for  this  that 
hundreds  have  crossed  continents  and  seas.  They  love  the 
work  to  which  God  has  called  them,  and  have  gathered 
here  at  great  expense  of  time,  money  and  strength,  that 
better  methods  may  be  devised  for  carrying  the  gospel, 
through  the  teaching  of  the  Bible  to  the  children  and  young 
people,  to  the  men  and  women  of  every  land  on  the  face  of 
the  earth. 

The  Sunday-school  is  just  beginning  to  wake  up  to  its 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

responsibility  and  opportunity  in  missionary  enterprise. 
Missionary  endeavor  is  the  short  cut  to  true  success  in  all 
Christian  work.  We  are  told  to  carry  the  gospel  to  every 
creature,  everywhere,  and  we  can  do  it,  by  God's  help,  or 
he  never  would  have  mocked  us  by  telling  us  to  do  it. 

This  is  practically  the  sum  and  substance  of  my  message 
to  you  to-day.  In  the  words  upon  our  printed  matter  for 
this  Convention  we  read  that  significant  truth,  "It  is  the 
whole  business  of  the  Church,  and  it  is  the  business  of  the 
whole  Church,  to  give  the  whole  gospel  to  the  whole  world 
as  speedily  as  possible."  The  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  is  out 
for  business  or  it  has  no  business  to  be  out. 

Our  Sunday-school  scholars  should  know  of  the  great 
interests  of  the  Kingdom  of  God  in  all  parts  of  the  world. 
There  should  be  specific  missionary  instruction  given  to 
them.  "No  information,  no  inspiration."  Even  the  boys 
and  girls  should  know  the  conditions  among  the  boys  and 
girls  of  other  lands.  They  should  be  given  the  privilege  of 
carrying  or  sending  the  gospel  to  them. 

A  new  day  is  dawning  in  Sunday-school  work,  and  we  are 
coming  more  and  more  to  realize  that  the  church  and 
Sunday-school  which  honor  God  by  endeavoring  faithfully 
to  fulfill  his  last  and  great  commission  will  have  the  choicest 
blessings  at  home.  There  is  no  other  way.  Jesus  said 
(John  12:  26),  "If  any  man  will  serve  me,  him  will  the 
Father  honor."  The  evangelization  of  the  world  is  the 
Church's  plain  duty  and  privilege. 

The  church  or  Sunday-school  (or  individual  for  that 
matter)  which  will  "make  a  little  cake  for  God  first,"  will 
have  all  it  can  use  at  home.  It  is  proverbially  true  wherever 
it  has  been  fairly  tried  that  the  churches  and  Sunday-schools 
which  are  doing  the  most  to  carry  the  gospel  into  all  the 
earth  are  doing  the  most  at  home.  Nothing  will  put  life 
into  a  church  so  quickly  and  so  thoroughly  as  for  that  church 
to  carry  the  gospel  of  Hfe  and  light  to  others.  This  is  true 
evangelism. 

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The  Sunday  School  Organized 

Evangelization — the  evangelistic  spirit,  which  seeks  to 
save  the  world,  is  another  mark  of  the  Sunday-school 
which  is  organized  for  service. 

IV.  If,  however,  the  gospel  is  to  be  carried  to  the  ends 
of  the  earth,  somebody  must  be  sent  to  carry  it,  and  those 
who  are  sent  must  be  provided  for.  This  means  that  our 
offerings  in  the  Sunday-school  must  be  largely  increased 
in  order  that  the  cause  of  God  should  not  suffer  in  other 
lands. 

We  have  many  uses  for  the  money  that  is  given.  But 
can  it  be  used  in  any  other  way  where  it  will  do  so  much, 
and  work  so  fast,  and  go  so  far  as  in  the  missionary  efforts 
of  the  church?  Our  Sunday-school  members  are  not 
trained  to  give  as  they  should  be.  ''Train  up  a  child  to 
give  a  penny  and  when  he  is  old  he  will  not  depart  from  it." 
In  many  schools  giving  is  not  one  of  the  cardinal  virtues. 
Proper  habits  of  giving  formed  in  youth  will  be  a  blessing 
to  the  givers,  for  the  right  kind  of  giving  is  a  means  of  grace. 

Giving  in  Sunday-school  work  should  be  generous  and 
it  should  be  in  proportion  to  the  ability;  it  should  be  regular 
and  systematic.  A  generation  of  boys  and  girls  raised  up 
to  give  in  this  manner  through  the  Sunday-school  will  soon 
wipe  out  all  of  the  debts  on  our  missionary  societies'  books, 
and  greatly  multiply  the  number  of  missionaries  in  the  home 
and  foreign  lands,  besides  putting  vigor  into  the  work  at 
home.     Giving  is  a  Christian  virtue. 

Giving — generous,  systematic,  intelligent  giving  is  one 
of  the  marks  of  the  Sunday-school  which  is  organized  for 
service. 

V.  Right  ideas  in  regard  to  all  of  these  things  we  have 
mentioned  come  only  through  intelligent  instruction  in  the 
Word  of  God.  It  is  there  we  learn  the  gospel  principles 
underlying  invitation;  the  preparation  of  our  teachers  that 
they  may  be  workmen  that  need  "not  to  be  ashamed;"  the 
great  fundamental  principles  of  missionary  endeavor,  and 
that  act  of  practical  Christian  worship  which  we  call  giving. 

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Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

Our  scholars  must  know  God's  Word;  they  must  know  it 
through  and  through.  "Ye  shall  know  the  truth,"  said 
the  Master.  The  teaching  in  our  schools  should  be  of 
much  higher  order  than  it  is.  We  need  not  teach  less  about 
the  Bible  but  we  should  teach  more  of  the  Bible.  Many 
of  our  scholars  have  at  best  but  a  hazy  knowledge  of  the 
Bible.  Our  teachers,  therefore,  must  not  only  be  trained 
but  they  must  actually  do  the  work  of  instructing  the  scholars 
along  the  line  of  Christian  living  and  service.  Teaching 
is  the  finest  of  the  fine  arts. 

Instruction  in  the  Word  of  God  is  one  of  the  marks 
of  a  Sunday-school  which  is  organized  for  service. 

VI.  He  who  said,  "Ye  shall  know  the  truth"  said  also 
in  the  very  same  breath,  "and  the  truth  shall  make  you 
free."  There  is  no  real  merit  in  knowing  God's  Word  un- 
less its  precious  truth  is  applied  to  the  heart  and  life  so  that 
the  new  life  is  begun  and  the  old  life  is  broken  off;  so  that 
Jesus  Christ  is  recognized  as  Saviour,  and  the  Christian 
warfare  entered  upon  never  to  be  laid  down  until  we  are 
called  hence. 

God's  Word  faithfully  taught,  accompanied  by  the  Holy 
Spirit,  will  or  should  lead  our  scholars  into  the  kingdom. 
It  ought  to  be  the  reasonable  expectation  of  those  in  charge 
of  every  Sunday-school  that  the  scholars  shall  be  saved. 
It  should  not  be  a  strange  thing  to  hear  the  question  of  the 
jailor  to  Paul  coming  from  some  scholar  to  his  teacher  at 
every  session  of  the  school.  And  yet  there  are  thousands 
of  Sunday-schools  which  pass  an  entire  twelve  months 
without  a  conversion.  In  our  country  it  takes  six  Sunday- 
school  teachers  a  whole  year  to  bring  one  soul  to  Christ. 
This  result  cannot  be  satisfactory.  It  should  not  be  satis- 
factory. It  is  God's  will  concerning  all  the  members  of  our 
schools  that  they  should  be  saved.  Let  us,  dear  friends, 
put  first  things  first  and  let  nothing  in  our  Sunday-schools 
interfere  with  the  spiritual  life  and  effort  which  leads  our 
scholars  to  salvation.     If,  as  Drummond  said,  "Love  is  the 

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The  Sunday  School  Organized 

greatest  thing  in  the  world  "—winning  souls  for  God  is  the 
greatest  work  in  the  world. 

Salvation  is  another  mark  of  the  Sunday-school  which 
is  organized  for  service. 

VII.  To  be  saved,  however,  is  not  the  end.  Many  are 
saved  no  doubt  who  amount  to  but  little  to  the  cause  of  God 
in  the  world.  It  is  amazing  and  alarming  to  notice  what 
a  small  percentage  of  our  church  members  are  actually 
doing  efficient  service  for  the  extension  of  God's  Kingdom 
through  the  church  or  Sunday-school  or  any  other  way. 

It  is  equally  alarming  to  know  how  many  there  are  who 
fall  away  from  their  first  estate  because  the  salvation  of  the 
scholars  has  been  made  the  chief  thing  in  the  Sunday-school 
rather  than  building  them  up  in  strong  Christian  character 
and  fortifying  them  for  the  battles  of  life  and  for  service. 

To  be  saved  is  to  join  the  Christian  army.  To  be  edified 
or  built  up  in  strong  Christian  character  for  service  is  to 
have  taken  training  under  the  tutelage  of  Jesus  Christ 
himself.  One  of  the  weakest  points  in  all  of  our  church  and 
Sunday-school  life  is  that  the  precious  souls  which  surrender 
to  the  claims  of  Jesus  Christ  our  Master  are  too  often  left 
to  grope  their  way  in  the  dark  without  the  nurture  and 
kindly  admonition  and  training  they  need  to  fit  them  for 
his  service.  This  is  the  place  of  greatest  leakages  in  our 
churches.  It  is  well-nigh  criminal  to  urge  scholars  to 
confess  Christ,  and  then  send  them  forth  into  the  worid 
without  the  Christian's  armor. 

When  our  scholars  have  accepted  Christ  they  should  be 
taught  how  to  bring  others  to  Christ;  they  should  be  taught 
how  to  use  the  Bible  as  food  for  their  souls  and  in  defense 
against  the  arrows  of  the  evil  one;  they  should  be  taught 
right  methods  of  prayer,  meditation,  and  Bible  study. 
Those  who  are  especially  fitted  for  it  should  be  trained  for 
the  teacher's  office  that  they  may  enter  into  service  better 
qualified  than  their  teachers  were.  This  will  add  great 
strength,  not  only  to  the  individual,  but  to  the  Sunday-school 

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Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

as  well,  and  indeed,  to  the  whole  Church.  Building  up 
stalwart  Christian  character,  setting  before  the  scholars  the 
privileges  of  service;  endeavoring  to  instill  into  them  the 
desire  to  be  themselves  workmen,  efficient,  trained;  for 
these  things  every  Sunday-school  should  stand. 

Edification  or  building  up  every  convert  in  strong 
Christian  character  is  another  mark  of  the  Sunday-school 
which  is  organized  for  service. 

All  of  these  things  we  have  considered  are  in  greater  or 
less  degree  within  the  reach  of  every  Sunday-school,  every- 
where. Not  all  can  attain  to  the  same  degree  of  efficiency 
because  of  the  circumstances  under  which  they  exist;  but 
all  can  endeavor  to  keep  close  to  the  One  who  has  promised 
to  be  our  guide  and  helper. 

Invitation,  preparation,  evangelization,  giving,  instruction, 
salvation,  edification.  Let  us  keep  these  things  in  our 
hearts  and  ponder  them  well,  for  they  are  the  marks,  and 
the  essential  marks,  of  every  Sunday-school  which  is  thor- 
oughly organised  for  service. 


The  Great  Apostle 

By  the  Rev.  Dr.  G.  Campbell  Morgan 

''I  am  not  a  whit  behind  the  very  chief  est  apostles"  are 
words  used  by  Paul  in  the  midst  of  boasting  of  which  he 
was  evidently  ashamed,  but  which  was  necessary  in  defense 
of  truth.  There  is  no  surer  sign  of  modesty  than  the  absence 
of  mock  modesty.  When  a  man  is  able  to  boast  in  vindica- 
tion of  his  appointment  to  service  by  his  Lord  he  proves 
his  humility. 

The  greatness  of  Paul  as  an  apostle  is  now  conceded,  yet 
during  his  exercise  of  the  apostolic  vocation  he  had  per- 
petually to  defend  his  right  to  the  title.  In  his  letters, 
sometimes  with  a  touch  of  satire,  he  defended  his  apostleship 
against  the  misunderstanding — that  is  the  kindest  word  to 
use — of   the    other    apostles.     In   the    Galatian   letter   he 

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The  Great  Apostle 

declared  that  he  went  up  to  Jerusalem  and  gained  nothing 
from  them.  He  referred  to  those  whom  he  found  there  as 
persons  "who  were  reputed  to  be  somewhat,"  then  absolutely 
denied  that  they  ministered  to  him  in  any  way,  either  by 
original  authority,  or  subsequent  counsel.  He  received  his 
gospel  from  his  Master.  He  received  his  commission  from 
him.  He  did  his  work  under  his  immediate  direction. 
He  remitted  his  case  and  cause  to  his  judgment. 

In  defense  of  his  apostleship  he  always  adopted  two  lines 
of  argument.  First,  he  insisted  upon  his  divine  appoint- 
ment. Second,  he  claimed  that  the  fulfilment  in  his  ministry 
of  the  true  apostoHc  function  proved  that  divine  appointment. 

Wherein  lay  the  greatness  of  this  apostle?  The  simplest 
and  most  inclusive  answer  to  that  inquiry  is  to  be  found  in 
a  statement  of  the  deepest  facts  of  his  hfe  in  their  relation  to 
Christ.  I  desire  now  to  make  that  statement  quite  briefly 
and  only  by  way  of  introduction,  for  I  propose  another 
method  of  approaching  the  subject.  I  cannot,  however, 
entirely  pass  over  these  fundamental  and  inclusive  matters. 

The  greatness  of  the  apostle  was  created  in  the  first  place 
by  the  absoluteness  of  his  surrender  to  Jesus.  On  the  way 
to  Damascus,  surprised,  startled,  and  stricken  to  the  earth 
by  the  revelation  of  the  living  Christ,  he  in  one  brief  and 
simple  question  handed  over  his  whole  life  to  Jesus.  "What 
shall  I  do.  Lord?" 

The  greatness  of  Paul  as  an  apostle  is  further  to  be 
accounted  for  by  his  attitude,  consequent  upon  that  sur- 
render, toward  all  the  things  of  his  former  life.  "What 
things  were  gain  to  me,  these  have  I  counted  loss  for  Christ." 

Finally,  his  greatness  is  to  be  accounted  for  by  the  resulting 
experience,  which  he  crystallized  into  one  brief  sentence, 
"To  me  to  live  is  Christ." 

These  things  being  stated  and  granted,  I  desire  to  con- 
sider certain  attitudes  of  the  mind  of  this  man  which  reveal 
the  strength  which  made  him  the  great  apostle,  the  pattern 
missionary   for   all   time.     These    attitudes   of   mind   are 

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revealed,  not  so  much  by  the  formal  statements  of  his 
writings  as  by  the  incidental  and  almost  unconscious 
utterances  thereof.  I  particularly  desire  to  make  clear  my 
own  discrimination  between  these  two  things.  In  his 
letters  there  are  certain  paragraphs  which  are  formal 
statements  concerning  himself.  I  do  not  propose  turning 
to  these  for  this  reason — I  say  this  with  all  respect  to  Paul, 
and  with  recognition  of  the  fact  that  these  are  inspired 
writing — men  do  not  reveal  themselves  in  their  formal 
utterances  half  so  clearly  as  in  their  incidental  words. 

I  have  recently  been  going  through  the  writings  of  Paul 
and  gathering  out  some  of  the  incidental  things  he  uttered 
concerning  himself.  I  propose  to  take  seven  of  them, 
without  any  set  sequence  or  order,  hoping  the  effect  may  be 
cumulative,  helping  to  an  understanding  of  the  attitudes  of 
mind  w^hich  made  this  man  a  great  apostle. 

The  deepest  thing  in  human  personahty  is  not  mind,  but 
spirit.  The  spiritual  life  of  Paul  commenced  when  he  said, 
''What  shall  I  do,  Lord?"  was  continued  when  he  said, 
"What  things  were  gain  to  me,  these  have  I  counted  loss 
for  Christ, "  was  perfected  as  Christ  was  formed  in  him  and 
shone  out  through  his  life.  That  is  the  spiritual  fact. 
I  desire  now  to  deal  with  the  mental,  that  is,  with  the  atti- 
tudes of  mind  which  were  natural  to  him,  and  which  were 
baptized  by  the  Spirit  into  life  and  fire  and  power. 

In  the  midst  of  his  classic  passage  on  love,  he  declared, 
"Now  that  I  am  become  a  man,  I  have  put  away  childish 
things."  Comparing  love  with  knowledge,  and  showing 
how  knowledge  passes  away,  the  richer  and  fuller  for  ever 
more  making  obsolete  the  smaller  and  the  incomplete,  by 
way  of  illustration  he  wrote,  "Now  that  I  am  become  a  man, 
I  have  put  away  childish  things,"  or  more  literally,  "I  have 
made  an  end  of  childish  things."  In  that  declaration  there 
is  revealed  an  attitude  of  mind,  consisting  of  a  sense  of 
proportion.  It  is  a  recognition  of  the  fact  that  the  ways  of 
a  child  are  right  for  a  child,  but  that  the  ways  of  a  child  are 


The  Great  Apostle 

wrong  for  a  man.  There  are  men  who  when  they  become 
men  do  not  put  away  childish  things.  There  are  people 
who  make  advance  in  certain  directions,  and  carry  up  with 
them  into  the  new  region  of  their  life  things  which  ought  to 
have  been  left  behind.  Should  the  butterfly  cling  to  the 
shell  in  which  it  had  been  but  a  grub,  what  disaster!  When 
it  became  a  butterfly,  it  put  away  the  things  of  the  former 
life.  "Now  that  I  am  become  a  man,  I  have  put  away 
childish  things."  That  is  to  say,  toys  gave  place  to  tools. 
Playtime  was  succeeded  by  worktime.  Instruction  began 
to  express  itself  in  construction.  This  is  a  principle  of 
greatness  in  all  Christian  service,  and  lack  of  it  is  inimical 
to  progress.  It  is  a  sense  of  proportion  and  readiness  to 
answer  new  conditions  whenever  they  arise. 

My  second  illustration  is  taken  from  the  Galatian  letter, 
*'  I  conferred  not  with  flesh  and  blood."  That  is  a  revelation 
of  the  sense  of  spiritual  compulsion.  He  had  already 
declared  that  he  had  received  a  double  unveihng  of  Jesus 
Christ.  Mark  the  twofold  fact.  Christ  was  unveiled  to 
him,  and  in  him.  He  had  seen  a  vision  of  Christ  external 
to  himself  on  the  way  to  Damascus;  and  he  had  seen  a  vision 
of  Christ  as  part  of  his  inner,  deepest,  and  profoundest  life. 
That  vision,  that  unveiling  of  Jesus  Christ,  became  the 
master  principle  of  his  life.  In  a  moment  all  the  lower 
motives  were  cancelled.  The  spiritual  truth  breaking  in 
upon  his  soul  by  the  revealing  of  Christ  to  him  and  the  re- 
vealing of  Christ  in  him,  came  not  only  as  light  but  as  fire, 
not  only  illuminating,  but  destroying  every  other  motive 
that  existed  within. 

Now  mark  the  fine  scorn  of  his  word,  "I  conferred  not 
with  flesh  and  blood,"  that  is  to  say,  material  motives  at 
their  very  highest  and  best  were  for  ever  more  out  of  court 
and  out  of  count.  "I  conferred  not  with  flesh  and  blood," 
quite  literally,  I  did  not  take  advice  with  flesh  and  blood, 
I  did  not  take  counsel  with  flesh  and  blood,  did  not  seek  the 
guidance  of  flesh  and  blood.     First,  his  own  flesh  and  blood. 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

He  never  took  counsel  with  his  material  life  from  the 
moment  when  God  revealed  his  Son  in  him.  He  took 
counsel  with  the  revealed  Son.  He  did  not  take  counsel 
with  the  apostles  of  flesh  and  blood.  He  took  counsel  only 
with  the  spiritual  truth  which  had  broken  upon  him  through 
the  inner  and  spiritual  conception  of  Christ. 

Turn  to  another  of  these  declarations,  "I  know  how  to  be 
abased  and  I  know  also  how  to  abound."  That  is  a  sense 
of  detachment  from  circumstances.  Did  ever  apostle  pass 
through  more  varied  circumstances  than  this  one?  Was 
ever  man  less  affected  by  them  than  he  was  ? 

This  is  not  the  detachment  of  absence.  That  is  the 
ascetic,  monastic  ideal  which  is  anti-Christian.  The  man 
who  says,  I  will  escape  the  possibiHty  of  abasement,  the 
possibiHty  of  abundance,  by  hiding  myself  from  the  common- 
place affairs  of  life,  is  not  realizing  the  apostolic  ideal, 
which  is  ability  to  stay  in  the  midst  of  circumstances  of 
abasement,  and  to  dwell  amid  abundance. 

Neither  is  it  the  detachment  of  indifference.  It  is  not  the 
stoicism  of  the  Greek  which  steels  the  heart  and  says, 
abasement  shall  not  affect  me,  abundance  shall  not  appeal 
to  me.     Far  from  it. 

It  is  rather  the  detachment  of  mastery  and  of  use.  ''I 
know  how  to  be  abased,  and  I  know  also  how  to  abound." 
I  am  not  afraid  of  abasement.  I  will  not  escape  from  it. 
I  am  not  afraid  of  abundance,  I  will  not  avoid  it.  I  do  not 
imagine  that  in  the  hour  when  my  Lord  gives  me  abundance 
there  is  something  wrong  in  my  inner  life.  "I  know  also 
how  to  abound."  I  know  how  to  suffer  hunger.  I  know 
how  to  suffer  need.  Abasement  without  dejection.  Abun- 
dance without  tyranny.  That  is  one  of  the  greatest  sen- 
tences Paul  ever  wrote  as  revealing  his  absolute  triumph 
in  human  life.  It  is  the  picture  of  a  man  so  absolutely 
detached  from  all  the  circumstances  of  his  life  that  he  was 
able  to  take  hold  of  them  and  press  them  into  the  making 
of  his  own  character,  and  what  is  more,  into  the  service 

i6o 


The  Great  Apostle 

which  his  Master's  will  had  appointed.  This  is  one  of 
the  statements  of  Paul  of  which  I  hardly  dare  to  speak,  so 
Ifttle  do  I  know  it  personally,  so  difficult  do  I  find  it  to  be. 
Where  was  the  secret  ?  How  was  it  this  man  could  say  such 
a  thing?  Follow  right  on  and  he  tells  you.  ''I  can  do  all 
things  in  him  that  strengtheneth  me."  It  is  the  Christ- 
centered  life.  That  is  the  spiritual  fact.  I  only  refer  to  it 
that  we  may  find  the  secret  of  this  mental  attitude  which 
is  so  difficult,  nay  impossible,  to  cultivate,  which  can  only 
come  as  Christ  within  becomes  in  very  deed  the  Master  of 
the  whole  life.  Whenever  Christ  does  become  the  Master 
of  the  life,  you  will  find  a  servant  who  says,  I  cannot  hurry 
from  abasement,  "I  know  how  to  be  abased."  I  do  not 
fear  abundance,  'T  know  also  how  to  abound."  You 
cannot  turn  my  feet  out  of  the  way  of  his  commandment 
by  hunger,  I  know  how  to  suffer  hunger.  You  cannot 
quench  my  zeal  for  his  service  by  giving  me  fulness.  I  know 
how  to  be  filled.  I  am  so  detached  from  circumstances 
that  I  can  master  them. 

I  come  now  to  the  very  heart  and  center  of  the  references 
which  reveal  his  greatness  as  an  apostle.  In  that  wonderful 
Roman  letter — introducing  the  subject  of  the  salvation  of 
God — he  made  three  personal  references  within  the  compass 
of  a  few  phrases.  ''I  am  debtor.  .  .  .  I  am  ready.  . 
I  am  not  ashamed."  ''  I  am  debtor,"  the  gospel  is  a  deposit 
which  I  hold  in  trust.  ''I  am  ready,"  the  gospel  is  an 
equipment  so  that  I  am  able  to  discharge  my  debt.  ''I  am 
not  ashamed,"  the  gospel  is  a  glory,  so  that  if  I  come  to 
imperial  Rome,  sitting  on  its  seven  hills,  I  shall  delight  to 
preach  the  gospel  there  also.  In  each  case  the  personal 
emphasis  reveals  the  sense  of  responsibility.  ''  I  am  debtor." 
Here  you  touch  the  driving  power  of  the  man's  life.  Here 
you  find  out  w^hy  he  could  not  rest,  why  the  very  motto  of  his 
missionary  movement  w^as  "the  regions  beyond";  why  he 
traversed  continents,  crossed  seas,  and  entered  into  perils 
on  perils.  He  felt  that  while  anywhere  there  was  a  human 
II  i6i 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

being  who  had  not  heard  the  evangel,  he  was  in  debt  to  that 
human  being. 

"  I  am  ready."  I  suppose  you  have  all  read  what  Artemus 
Ward  said  about  the  American  war.  He  said  he  had 
already  donated  several  brothers  and  cousins  to  the  war, 
and  he  was  prepared  to  donate  a  few  more.  How  many  of 
you  have  donated  other  people  to  missionary  enterprise? 
Paul  said,  *'I  am  ready."  *'I  am  not  ashamed."  You  tell 
me  we  must  cancel  the  capital  I.  Yes,  nail  it  to  the  cross 
and  let  it  emerge  in  resurrection  glory. 

In  the  same  letter  I  presently  find  this  man  writing 
another  revealing  sentence.  "I  could  wish  that  I  myself 
were  anathema  from  Christ."  I  do  not  know  that  there  is 
anything  other  than  silence  possible  in  the  presence  of  that. 
There  have  been  endless  attempts  made  to  account  for  it, 
and  to  explain  it,  usually  to  explain  it  away.  It  has  been 
said  that  the  apostle  did  not  really  mean  that  he  wished  he 
were  accursed  from  Christ.  Then  in  the  name  of  God,  why 
did  he  write  it?  If  language  means  anything,  he  meant 
exactly  that.  "I  could  wish  that  I  myself  were  anathema 
from  Christ  for  my  brethren's  sake,  my  kinsmen  according 
to  the  flesh."  How  is  this  to  be  accounted  for.  It  can  only 
be  accounted  for  by  declaring  that  it  is  the  mental  attitude 
which  grows  out  of  the  fulness  of  spiritual  life,  of  which 
Christ  is  the  fountain.  Again,  go  back  in  memory  over  the 
argument.  He  had  stated  the  great  doctrine  of  justification. 
He  had  dealt  with  the  great  doctrine  of  sanctification.  He 
had  climbed  up  out  of  the  unutterable  ruin  of  human  sin 
until  he  had  come  to  that  height  at  the  close  of  the  eighth 
chapter  in  which  he  said  that  nothing  can  "separate  us  from 
the  love  of  God,  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord."  Imme- 
diately the  shout  of  personal  triumph  merged  into  the  cry  of 
a  great  sorrow,  "I  could  wish  that  I  myself  were  anathema 
from  Christ  for  my  brethren's  sake."  How  are  we  to 
account  for  it?  Only  thus,  he  is  now  speaking  with  the 
tongue  of   Christ,   feeling  with   the   heart   of   Christ.     He 

162 


The  Great  Apostle 

is  a  man  surcharged  with  the  Christ-life.  It  thrills  and 
throbs  through  every  fiber  of  his  being.  If  that  be  so,  I  have 
no  further  difficulty,  for  he  who  knew  no  sin  was  made  sin 
for  me.  Here  is  a  man  in  whom  his  life  is  dominant,  in 
whom  the  Christ  passion  is  moving  and  burning.  What  is 
the  mental  attitude  now?  Utter  and  absolute  self-abnega- 
tion. ''I  could  wish  that  I  myself  were  anathema  from 
Christ."     It  is  the  sense  of  compassion. 

I  turn  to  another  passage  which  stands  in  almost  brutal 
contrast  to  the  one  at  which  we  have  just  been  looking. 
"I  resisted  him  to  the  face."  Who  is  this  that  he  resisted 
to  the  face?  Peter.  Why  did  he  resist  Peter  to  the  face? 
Read  the  story  carefully.  Not  because  Peter  had  been 
preaching  a  false  doctrine.  He  had  done  nothing  of  the 
kind.  Peter,  to  whom  had  first  come  the  commission  to 
preach  the  gospel  to  the  Gentiles,  having  come  down  to 
these  Gentile  Christians  had  sat  down  at  the  table  with 
them  quite  naturally.  But  there  came  down  certain  men 
from  Jerusalem,  and  when  they  came  Peter  declined  to  sit 
down  with  the  Gentiles.  Paul  calls  his  action  by  the  right 
word,  dissimulation,  positive  dishonesty.  I  pray  you 
notice  carefully  what  this  means.  Paul  saw  that  Peter 
insulted  truth  in  the  commonplaces.  He  would  never  have 
insulted  truth  in  a  great  crisis.  Peter  argumentatively  and 
theologically  would  have  defended  the  liberty  of  the  Gentile 
quite  as  eagerly  as  would  Paul,  but  under  stress  of  con- 
ventionality he  conformed  to  the  false  thinking  of  the  Judaean 
visitors  by  refusing  to  sit  down  with  the  Gentiles.  Paul's 
anger  here  is  a  finer  revelation  of  loyalty  to  truth  than  any 
lengthy  treatise.  I  will  put  that  in  another  form.  His 
attitude  toward  Peter  is  the  supreme  vindication  of  the 
honesty  of  the  Galatian  letter.  Had  he  written  his  Galatian 
letter,  a  powerful  treatise  in  defense  of  the  Hberty  of  the 
Christian,  and  yet  had  lightly  passed  over  Peter's  dissimu- 
lation, I  would  have  been  compelled  to  doubt  his  sincerity. 
Here  again,  I  remind  you  of  the  principle  enunciated  at  the 

163 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

beginning  of  this  study.  A  man  is  revealed  in  the  common- 
place thing,  not  in  the  crisis,  Paul,  when  he  saw  Peter 
violating  truth  in  the  commonplace,  resisted  him  to  the  face, 
because  he  was  to  be  blamed.  An  apostle  violating  truth 
in  the  commonplace  is  not  to  be  excused  because  he  is  an 
apostle.  In  all  probability  Peter  was  one  of  those  to  whom 
Paul  referred  as  those  who  were  ''reputed  to  be  somewhat." 
The  "somewhat"  that  he  seemed  to  be  could  not  save  him 
in  the  presence  of  this  man  in  whom  the  truth  reigned 
supremely,  who  would  not  deviate  by  a  hair's  breadth  from 
loyalty  to  it.  No  man  is  great  who  excuses  the  violation  of 
truth  in  the  commonplaces  of  hfe.  ''I  resisted  him  to 
the  face." 

One  more  illustration,  "I  must  also  see  Rome."  That 
was  not  the  feverish  desire  of  the  tourist.  He  was  himself 
a  Roman  citizen,  and  was  conscious  of  the  far-reaching 
power  of  the  Roman  empire.  He  knew  full  well  how  the 
influence  of  the  capital  city  spread  out  over  all  the  known 
world.  He  was  perfectly  well  aware  that  the  Roman 
highways  extended  in  every  direction,  and  Roman  rule  was 
everywhere.  It  was  the  strategic  center  of  the  life  of  his 
age.  "I  must  also  see  Rome."  I  must  go  to  Rome,  and 
from  that  great  center  send  forth  this  self-same  evangel, 
this  gospel  message. 

It  is  exactly  this  sense  of  method  which  the  Church  has 
so  perpetually  been  in  danger  of  losing.  Take  one  illustra- 
tion of  what  I  mean  from  home  missionary  work,  and 
another,  a  living  one  at  this  moment,  from  the  foreign  field. 
The  home  illustration  is  to  be  found  in  the  perpetual  habit 
the  Church  of  God  has  had  of  abandoning  some  building 
at  the  center  of  a  vast  population.  When  the  Church  of  God 
abandons  some  strategic  center  it  is  because  she  has  not  the 
apostle's  sense,  "I  must  also  see  Rome,"  I  must  be  at  the 
heart  of  the  world's  movements,  I  must  take  this  gospel 
into  the  very  center  where  the  tides  of  life  are  throbbing,  and 
from  which  the  influences  which  make  or  mar  men  are 

164 


The  Great  Apostle 

proceeding.  Take  the  other  illustration,  from  the  foreign 
field.  If  the  Church  of  God  did  but  know  its  day  and 
opportunity  it  would  fasten  its  attention  at  this  hour  upon 
Japan.  China  is  waking  from  her  long,  long  slumber,  and 
the  question  of  the  politician  is  not  the  question  of  the 
Christian.  The  question  of  the  pohtician  is,  What  shall 
we  do  with  China?  The  question  of  the  Christian  is, 
What  will  China  do  with  us?  for  I  beheve  the  Christian 
man  climbs  to  the  highest  height  and  sees  things  more 
clearly.  That  is  the  question  of  the  future.  Remember 
finally  China  is  not  going  to  be  influenced  by  us.  If  she 
desires  Western  civihzation  she  will  certainly  choose  to  take 
it  from  her  neighbor  and  kin,  Japan.  If  we  did  but  know 
the  hour  of  our  visitation  and  opportunity,  we  should  evan- 
gelize Japan,  and  especially  in  the  centers  of  learning,  for 
from  them  are  going  forth  the  men  who  will  presently  effect 
the  moulding  of  China.  The  Church  to-day  ought  to  be 
restless  through  all  her  Missionary  Societies,  and  her  great 
cry  ought  to  be  "I  must  see  Japan."  It  was  a  great  sense 
of  method.  It  was  the  word  of  a  man  who  thought  impe- 
rially in  very  deed  and  truth,  and  who  knew  that  to  be  at 
the  center  of  empire  with  the  message  of  the  gospel  was 
to  affect  the  uttermost  part  of  the  earth. 

Let  me  gather  up  in  brief  sentences  these  sayings  and 
their  values.  First  of  all,  I  find  a  sense  of  proportion  which 
made  him  willing  to  pass  on  into  new  light  and  new 
conditions  and  forget  absolutely  the  things  of  the  past. 
"Now  that  I  am  become  a  man,  I  have  put  away  childish 
things."  Then  I  find  the  sense  of  spiritual  compulsion 
which  made  him  magnificently,  even  satirically,  independent 
of  the  counsel  of  flesh  and  blood.  'T  conferred  not  with 
flesh  and  blood."  Then  I  find  that  splendid  detachment 
from  circumstances  which  meant  mastery  of  circumstances. 
"  I  know  how  to  be  abased,  and  I  know  also  how  to  abound." 
Then  I  find  that  sense  of  personal  responsibility  which  made 
him  say,  "  I  am  debtor     .      .      .     I  am  ready     . 

i6s 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

I  am  not  ashamed."  Then  I  find  that  overwhelming  sense 
of  compassion  which  made  him  say,  "I  could  wish  that  I 
myself  were  anathema  from  Christ."  Then  I  find  the  sense 
of  stern  loyalty  to  truth  which  made  him  resist  Peter  to  the 
face — "  I  resisted  him  to  the  face."  Finally,  I  find  that  sense 
of  method  which  made  him  put  into  a  sentence  the  burning 
desire  of  his  heart  as  he  said,  "I  must  also  see  Rome." 

Truly  this  was  the  great  apostle,  the  great  pattern  for  all 
time  of  those  who  would  desire  to  be  apostles,  messengers, 
missionaries  of  the  cross  of  Christ. 

Yet  I  am  compelled  to  return  to  the  fundamental  state- 
ments with  which  I  began.  If  these  are  the  mental  attitudes, 
what  is  the  spiritual  fact?  "To  me  to  live  is  Christ."  So 
that  as  I  look  at  Paul,  the  apostle,  the  missionary,  the  last 
thing  I  have  to  say  is  not  of  the  great  apostle,  but  of  the 
great  Christ,  the  One  who  took  hold  of  this  man,  and 
revealing  himself  within  him,  unveiling  his  glory  to  his 
inner  consciousness,  drove  him  forth,  and  made  him  such 
as  he  was.  Christ  diffused  through  Paul  will  not  help  us. 
It  is  good  to  see  Paul,  to  know  what  Christ  can  do;  but  we 
must  indeed  get  to  Christ  himself  if  we  would  enter  into 
fellowship  even  with  Paul.  If  the  vision  of  the  great  apostle 
shall  drive  us  to  his  Lord,  then  how  great  and  gracious  will 
be  the  result.*  If  we  will  but  make  his  surrender,  "What 
shall  I  do,  Lord?":  if  we  will  take  up  this  attitude  toward 
the  things  we  have  counted  best,  counting  them  but  loss 
that  we  may  win  Christ:  if  we  will  but  enter  into  the  expe- 
rience which  he  expressed  in  the  words,  "To  me  to  live  is 
Christ:" — what  then?  First,  he  will  not  make  us  Pauls, 
but  he  will  make  us  his  own.  Though  he  may  never  send 
us  over  continents  and  among  such  perils,  all  that  matters 
nothing,  for  it  is  local,  and  incidental  merely.  He  will  send 
us  where  he  would  have  us  go,  and  he  will  make  us  what  he 
would  have  us  be,  and  through  us — oh,  matchless  wonder 
of  overwhelming  grace — the  light  of  his  love  may  shine,  and 
the  force  of  his  life  may  be  felt. 

i66 


The  Great  Apostle 

We  cannot  have  this  Christ-hfe  within  us  without  having 
clear  vision,  and  without  having  driving  compassion,  and 
without  having  the  dynamic  which  makes  us  mighty.  We 
cannot  have  Christ  within  us  and  be  parochial.  Christ 
overleaps  the  boundaries  of  parish,  society,  and  nation,  and 
his  clear  vision  takes  in  the  whole  world.  If  Christ  be 
verily  in  us  we  shall  see  with  his  eyes,  feel  w^ith  his  heart,  be 
driven  with  his  very  compassion. 

"  'If  I  have  eaten  my  morsel  alone!' 

The  patriarch  spoke  in  scorn; 
What  would  he  think  of  the  Church,  were  he  shown 

Heathendom,  huge,  forlorn, 
Godless,  Christless,  with  soul  unfed, 
While  the  Church's  ailment  is  fulness  of  bread, 

Eating  her  morsel  alone? 

"  'I  am  debtor  alike  to  the  Jew  and  the  Greek,' 

The  mighty  apostle  cried; 
Traversing  continents,  souls  to  seek, 

For  the  love  of  the  Crucified. 
Centuries,  centuries  since  have  sped; 
Millions  are  famishing,  we  have  bread. 

But  we  eat  our  morsel  alone. 

"  Ever  of  them  who  have  largest  dower 

Shall  heaven  require  the  more. 
Ours  is  aflfluence,  knowledge,  power, 

Ocean  from  shore  to  shore; 
And  East  and  West  in  our  ears  have  said, 
Give  us,  give  us  your  living  Bread. 

Yet  we  eat  our  morsel  alone. 

"  Freely,  as  ye-  have  received,  so  give. 

He  bade,  who  hath  given  us  all. 
How  shall  the  soul  in  us  longer  live. 

Deaf  to  their  starving  call, 
For  whom  the  blood  of  the  Lord  was  shed, 
And  his  body  broken  to  give  them  bread, 
If  we  eat  our  morsel  alone?" 
167 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 
The  Sunday    School  as  a  Missionary  Force 

By  a.  C.  Monro 

From  or  through  the  Sunday-schools  and  Young  People's 
Societies  in  Great  Britain  the  Baptist  Missionary  Society 
receives  one-fourth  of  its  annual  income,  the  Wesleyan 
Missionary  Society,  one-fifth  of  its  annual  income,  the 
London  Missionary  Society  over  one-seventh  of  its  annual 
income.  The  total  contributed  through  the  young  people, 
to  these  three  societies,  and  I  take  it  they  are  representative 
of  all  others,  amounts  to  roughly  not  less  than  ^^^65,000 
annually. 

These  figures  show  that  some  societies  work  the  Sunday- 
school  mine  to  greater  profit  than  others. 

I  give  these  figures  to  bring  before  you  the  fact  that  the 
Sunday-school  is  a  force — a  potent  force — in  the  missionary 
world  to-day. 

But  it  is  nothing  like  the  force  it  might  be  made.  What 
the  Sunday-school,  working  up  to  the  summit  of  its  possi- 
bilities could  do  for  foreign  missions,  it  has  not  yet  entered 
into  the  mind  of  man  to  conceive.  Create  missionary 
interest  and  enthusiasm,  translate  them  into  effort,  wisely 
lead,  and  the  Sunday-school  will  provide  men,  women,  and 
money  enough  to  banish  all  present  burdens  weighing  on  our 
Societies,  and  send  them  along  with  new  and  added  power 
to  spread  the  light  of  the  knowledge  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ. 

I  am  going  to  tell  the  simple  story  of  what  a  Sunday-school 
has  done,  and  is  doing  to-day  for  missions. 

It  is  necessary  that  I  should  first  give  you  some  details 
of  the  school  whose  doings  I  am  to  describe,  and  when  I  say 
"school"  please  understand  I  mean  Christian  Endeavor 
Societies  also,  for  they  share  to  the  full  in  all  the  work 
recorded.  It  is  situated  in  the  Southeast  of  London,  in  the^ 
Borough  of  Camberwell  and  in  its  ParHamentary  Division 
of  Peckham.     When  I  have  mentioned  that  fact  no  vision 

168 


As  a  Missionary  Force 

of  exceptional  riches  will  rise  to  the  mind  of  any  one  who 
knows  the  neighborhood.  ''Poor  Peckham"  is  an  aUitera- 
tive  colloquialism  with  far  too  much  truth  in  it.  It  is 
known  as  Rye  Lane  Sunday-school  and  is  the  Sunday-school 
of  the  Baptist  church  w^orshiping  in  Rye  Lane  Chapel. 

It  has  fifty -four  teachers  and  about^nine  hundred  scholars 
on  the  books,  with  an  average  attendance  of  about  five 
hundred  and  fifty.  Close  on  three  hundred  of  the  scholars 
are  over  fifteen  years  of  age.  The  young  people  of  the 
school  belong  to  the  working  class  and  the  lower  middle 
class,  and  wealth  has  no  representatives,  either  among  the 
scholars,  teachers,  or  officers. 

It  has  to  be  confessed  that  neither  in  its  building  or  its 
methods  is  it  up  to  modern  Sunday-school  requirements. 
There  is,  however,  in  the  school,  life,  love,  unity,  zeal,  and 
it  is  blest  with  a  pastor  in  touch  and  sympathy  with  the 
young  people,  always  ready  to  encourage,  strengthen,  and 
lead  them  in  earnest  effort  to  extend  Christ's  Kingdom. 

The  account  I  am  to  give  you  will  refer  only  to  the  past 
eight  years  of  the  school's  history.  Up  to  1898,  the  school 
had  raised,  mainly  by  the  aid  of  the  ancient  and  serviceable 
missionary  box,  something  like  ;^8o,  per  annum.  In  doing 
as  much  as  this  there  was  a  general  sense  of  satisfaction  and 
a  comforting  consciousness  that  we  were  doing  very  well. 
If  pride  had  no  place,  yet  we  felt  we  w^ere  meeting  all  reasona- 
ble expectations,  while  some  even  thought  improving  the 
position  was  among  the  impossible  things. 

About  this  time,  however,  the  Lord  himself  was  at  work 
in  the  school,  and  we  knew  it  not.  He  had  sent  his  servant 
to  prepare  the  way,  as  is  his  wont.  That  servant  was  the 
earnest,  devoted,  large-hearted  teacher  of  the  Young 
Women's  Bible  Class.  Upon  her  heart  the  burden  of  the 
heathen  had  been  laid,  and  she  shared  it  with  her  class. 
They  talked  and  planned  and  worked  and  prayed,  thus 
generating  a  spirit  of  interest  and  enthusiasm  that,  when  the 
door  was  opened,  filled  the  whole  school. 

169 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

The  opening  of  the  door  came  in  the  selection  by  the 
Baptist  Missionary  Society,  of  a  well-known  old  scholar  of 
the  school,  as  a  missionary  to  China  who  had  just  finished 
his  college  course  and  done  good  work  as  a  student  pastor. 

The  teacher  referred  to  immediately  brought  to  the 
superintendent,  and  then  to  the  teachers'-meeting,  a  sug- 
gestion that  the  school  should  undertake  his  support.  The 
suggestion  was  well  received,  and  a  special  teachers'-meeting 
was  called  to  decide  the  matter.  This  was  full  and 
enthusiastic,  agreeing  unanimously:  i.  To  undertake  his 
support.  2.  To  do  it  as  an  additional  missionary  effort, 
that  is,  in  addition  to  anything  we  were  doing  as  a  school,  so 
that  it  meant  much  more  than  doubling  our  annual  con- 
tribution. 3.  To  raise  the  money  by  the  circle  and  share 
system. 

It  was  thought  well  to  aim  at  ;^i5o  per  annum  (although 
£120  was  the  real  amount  required).  It  was  decided, 
therefore,  to  form  a  Missionary  Circle  of  one  hundred 
shareholders,  each  share  representing  £1.  los.  4p.  per 
annum.  Within  a  fortnight  from  the  date  of  the  meeting, 
and  without  a  single  soul  being  asked  personally,  one 
hundred  and  ten  shares  were  taken  up,  ten  more  than  was 
asked,  for  friends  came  and  said,  ''put  my  name  down." 

Eighteen  months  later,  when  a  second  missionary,  an  old 
scholar  too,  was  sent  out,  the  same  happy  experience  was 
repeated. 

Such  was  the  beginning  of  the  new  era  of  missionary  work 
in  Rye  Lane  Sunday-school.  It  proved  no  temporary  wave 
of  enthusiasm,  it  has  stayed  eight  years,  and  is  as  strong  as 
ever  to-day. 

The  school  soon  had  to  mourn  the  loss  of  its  first  mission- 
ary. After  three  brief  years  of  service,  brilhant  in  their 
promise,  he  was  called  to  his  heavenly  home.  Another, 
however,  was  chosen,  a  lady  this  time,  and  she  is  in  the 
field  now. 

To  give  an  idea  of  the  growth  of  the  movement,  I  shall 
170 


As  a  Missionary  Force 

just   catalogue   the   foreign   missionary   undertakings   and 
doings  of  the  school  to-day. 

It  supports:  Its  own  missionary  representative  in  China 
at  a  cost  of  £80  per  annum.  Its  own  missionary  representa- 
tive in  India  at  a  cost  of  ;^8o  per  annum.  Both  of  these 
are  members  of  Rye  Lane  Church,  and  one  is  an  old  scholar 
of  the  school  as  well.  The  Unking  of  our  efforts  with 
individuals  known  to  the  church  and  school  has  been  a  source 
of  great  strength,  and  I  would  especially  emphasize  it.  It 
supports: 

A  native  preacher  in  India,  at  a  cost  of  £15  per  annum. 
A  native  preacher  in  China,  at  a  cost  of  £15  per  annum. 
A  school  in  China  for  thirty  girls,  at  a  cost  of  £2.  los.  per 
annum.  A  bed  in  a  Chinese  hospital,  at  a  cost  of  £$  per 
annum.  An  orphan  girl  in  India,  who  is  being  trained  to 
become  a  Bible  Woman,  at  a  cost  of  £5  per  annum. 

The  following  amounts  in  addition  to  those  for  definite 
purposes  were  also  raised  and  handed  over  last  year: 

To  Baptist  Missionary  Society,  £7  14s.  9P-,  to  Baptist 
Medical  Mission,  £35  8s.  9p.,  to  Baptist  Zenana  Mission, 
£29  i6s.,  to  Continental  Sunday-school  Mission,  £5  5s. 

Further,  three  large  boxes  filled  with  toys  and  useful  and 
fancy  articles  are  sent,  two  to  India,  and  one  to  China,  each 
Christmas. 

As  need  has  arisen,  the  school  has  sent  out  to  its  repre- 
sentatives as  helps  in  their  work:  A  harmonium,  a  type- 
writer, cash  to  buy  a  donkey,  gramophone,  two  accordions, 

etc. 

The  amount  raised  for  foreign  missions  by  the  school  last 
year  was  £314  7s.  loip.,  and  another  £103  5s.  lip.  was 
raised  for  home  work  and  philanthropic  purposes,  making 
a  total  of  £417  13s.  For  the  eight  years  the  total  raised 
amounts  to  £3,094  19s.  loid.  of  which  £2,364  7s.  loid.  was 
for  foreign  missions. 

So  much,  and  yet  so  little!     So  httle!  and  yet  so  much, 

171 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

that  if  only  all  schools  did  proportionally  the  same,  it  would 
mean  progress  beyond  imagining  in  missionary  enterprise. 

The  various  methods  of  collecting  the  money  thus  dis- 
tributed, were: 

1.  The  old-fashioned  Class  Boxes  were  passed  round  the 
classes  every  Sunday.  It  is  worth  noting  that  in  spite  of  all 
developments  they  realized  when  they  ceased  to  be  used,  as 
nearly  as  possible  the  same  as  they  did  eight  years  ago. 

Their  day  is  over  now,  however,  and  on  Sunday,  October 
yth,  1906,  was  inaugurated  our  new  method  of  collecting  bv 
"The  King's  Bags." 

Time  prevents  my  explaining  this  new  method,  but  it  has 
produced  an  increase  of  over  fifty  per  cent  in  our  afternoon 
collections.  In  its  first  six  months  of  working  our  afternoon 
collections  have  totalled  £36  i6s.  as  against  -^2/^  12s.,  in  the 
corresponding  six  months  of  the  previous  year.  In  addition 
to  that  benefit,  the  collection  is  lifted  into  an  important 
place  as  an  act  of  worship  in  the  afternoon  service — the 
gift  becomes  as  the  prayer  and  the  praise. 

2.  There  are  home  boxes.  These  are  of  two  sorts,  one 
of  an  ordinary  shape  for  the  Congo,  and  the  other  a  pill 
box  shape  for  medical  missions. 

3.  "Do  Without  Bags."  The  "Do  Without  Bag"  is 
a  small  silk  bag  carried  in  the  pocket,  into  which  is  put  any 
money  the  bearer  has  refrained  from  spending  on  luxuries, 
the  "fair  fruits  of  self-denial,"  in  fact. 

4.  A  sale  of  work  held  annually  at  which  the  Christian 
Endeavor  Societies  take  a  leading  part. 

5.  Special  collections  taken  when  open  school  is  held, 
and  at  pubHc  meetings. 

6.  And,  most  important  of  all,  the  "Missionary  Circles." 
To  this  method  I  would  invite  your  earnest  attention.  It 
reveals  the  power  of  the  penny,  and  has  wonderful  possibili- 
ties in  it.  A  Missionary  Circle  is  the  combination  of 
a  certain  number  of  persons  who  promise  to  give  or  collect 
one  penny  per  day  for  specified  missionary  purposes.     This 

172 


DQ 


As  a  Missionary  Force 

amounts  to  7s.  yd.  per  quarter  or  30s.  4d.  per  annum,  and 
represents  one  share  in  the  Circle.  For  instance,  for  the 
support  of  each  of  the  lady  missionaries  there  is  a  circle  of 
sixty  shares,  which  represents  £90  and  as  the  amount 
required  is  £80,  allows  for  the  expense  of  working  the  circle 
and  possible  failures  in  keeping  up  shares.  The  shares 
are  promised  by  individuals  or  classes,  who  are  then  enrolled 
and  form  the  circle.  Collecting  cards  are  next  issued  which 
have  to  be  returned  with  the  cash  quarterly.  The  fresh 
card  is  sent  out  before  the  quarter  ends,  and  so  serves  as 
a  reminder  that  the  share  installment  is  due.  There  are 
three  Circles  at  work  in  the  school,  two  for  foreign  missions, 
and  one  for  a  home  missionary  effort. 

So  far  I  have  dealt  with  material  contributions.  They 
are  not  all,  nor  the  most  important  that  is  given,  however. 
The  training  of  the  young  in  missionary  interest  and 
enthusiasm;  the  passing  on  to  the  Church  a  generation 
realizing  their  responsibilities  to  the  heathen,  and  eager  to 
meet  them;  the  prayers  of  teachers  and  scholars  banded 
together  in  daily  intercession;  the  throbbing  heart  of  sym- 
pathy with  the  workers  in  the  field,^ — ^these  are  contributions 
far-reaching  and  valuable  beyond  any  cash  estimate. 

There  is  a  missionary  atmosphere  in  the  school. 

The  gong  that  calls  the  school  to  order  and  attention  is 
a  constant  reminder  of  the  mission  field — it  is  the  gift  of  our 
church  missionary  on  the  Congo,  and  is  hung  from  two 
teeth  of  a  hippopotamus  that  very  nearly  ended  that  mis- 
sionary's career. 

Enlarged  framed  photos  of  the  school  missionaries  are 
hung  in  prominent  places.  Large  charts  are  also  on  the 
walls  showing  at  a  glance  the  financial  position  of  each 
circle. 

In  a  prominent  position  there  is  a  missionary  thermometer, 
nine  feet  high  which  records  and  shows  the  rise  and  fall  of 
the  weekly  contributions.  The  thermometer  has  done 
excellent  service  and  has  helped  the  King's  Bags  much. 

173 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

It  has  been  copied  in  neighboring  schools  too,  and  been 
equally  effective  in  increasing  interest  and  collections  there. 

There  is  an  Honor  Board,  on  which  are  inscribed  the 
names  of  old  scholars  or  church  members  who  have  been,  or 
are  now,  in  the  foreign  field. 

The  amount  collected  in  each  class  is  read  from  the  desk 
quarterly. 

Letters  are  read  regularly  from  our  own  missionaries 
during  afternoon  school. 

There  are  Missionary  Scrap  Boards  in  School  and  Class 
rooms.  These  are  boards  covered  with  green  baize,  on 
which  are  pinned  cuttings  from  illustrated  and  other  maga- 
zines, or  indeed  anything  that  bears  on  the  missionary 
question. 

There  are  Missionary  Study  Classes.  This  is  a  new  and 
specially  informing  method  of  increasing  interest  and  has 
''caught  on."  There  are  already  four  classes  meeting 
weekly,  with  a  certainty  of  more  to  follow.  The  classes 
meet  in  the  house  of  some  friend,  and  the  number  attending 
is  limited  to  twelve. 

In  connection  with  the  sending  out  of  boxes  for  Christmas 
gifts,  we  have  competitions  for  the  best-dressed  dolls,  the 
best  painted  texts  in  Chinese  or  other  languages,  and  the 
best  made  toy,  etc.,  and  then  there  is  an  exhibition  of  the 
beautiful  things  sent  in. 

There  are  "Correspondence  Circles,"  each  member  of 
which  undertakes  to  write  to  a  missionary  once  a  month. 

There  is  a  "One  by  One"  League  whose  members  take 
a  personal  interest  in,  and  pray  daily  for,  a  native  child  in 
India  or  China.  The  name  of  the  child  allotted  is  sent  by 
a  school  missionary. 

Arrangements  are  made  to  give  missionary  lessons  to 
classes  whose  teachers  desire  it.  This  is  found  to  be  more 
effective  than  frequent  addresses  from  the  platform. 

From  the   desk  the   missionaries  are  prayed  for  every 


174 


As  a  Missionary  Force 

Sunday,  on  nearly  every  occasion  their  names  being 
mentioned. 

A  special  Young  People's  missionary  prayer-meeting  is 
held  on  the  fourth  Sunday  evening  of  each  month. 

In  the  selection  of  hymns  for  the  school  anniversary 
services  one  or  two  missionary  hymns  are  chosen,  and, 
indeed,  on  every  occasion  in  connection  with  the  hfe  of  the 
school  its  missionary  work  has  always  a  front  place. 

Missionary  literature  is  regularly  distributed,  and  there 
is  a  real,  live,  up-to-date  missionary  library  with  books  that 
are  read. 

As  to  management  and  control,  this  is  in  the  hands  of 
a  committee  formed  of  teachers  and  senior  scholars,  w^hich 
is  appointed  annually.  All  the  missionary  work  is  under 
its  care.  It  reports  monthly  to  the  teachers'-meetings,  and 
its  decisions  (unless  when  power  is  given  to  act)  have  all  to 
be  formally  approved  by  the  teachers.  The  superintendent 
is  ex-ofhcio  chairman,  and  the  chief  secretary  is  the  mis- 
sionary secretary  of  the  school.  It  is  only  right  to  say  that 
the  present  holder  of  that  office  is  the  personality  of  the 
organization.  Under  God,  the  work  accomplished  is 
largely  due  to  his  talent,  devotion  and  zeal. 

From  the  Young  Christians'  Missionary  Union  the  school 
has  received  invaluable  counsel,  help  and  inspiration. 
I  would  recommend  any  school  desiring  to  go  forward  on 
missionary  lines  to  get  in  touch  with  this  excellent  society 
at  once. 

The  development  of  foreign  missionary  effort  has  meant 
great  increase  in  missionary  and  philanthropic  work  at 
home  as  well.  Specially  would  I  ask  those  with  a  fear  in 
their  heart  that  working  for  the  heathen  abroad  might 
impoverish  and  stultify  home  effort,  to  note  this, — the 
school  is  raising  at  the  present  time  eight  to  ten  times  more 
for  home  work  than  when  it  started  on  its  foreign  missionary 
enterprise. 

And  this  is  not  all,  for  efforts  that  cannot  be  measured 
175 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

in  cash  are  constantly  being  made  by  individuals,  classes, 
societies,  and  the  whole  school,  to  help  and  bless  the  sick, 
the  sinful,  and  the  poor  of  the  neighborhood. 

Its  intense  interest  in  missionary  work  has  not  made  the 
school  lopsided  either.  This  is  proved  by  the  fact  that  at 
the  present  moment  it  holds  the  Challenge  Shield  for  the 
best  Senior  Sunday-school  choir  in  the  local  Sunday-school 
Union  with  which  it  is  affiliated.  Also  the  Challenge 
Shield  for  the  largest  entries  and  best  results  in  the  local 
Sunday-school  Union  scholars  Scripture  examination. 

To  the  church  it  has  meant  gain  to  have  passed  into  its 
membership  young  people  taught  in  the  principles  of 
systematic  Christian  giving,  and  trained  in  the  practise  of 
them. 

And  best  of  all,  in  the  spiritual  work  of  the  school  the 
blessing  has  been  very  marked.  Last  year  forty-five  of  the 
scholars  were  baptized  and  joined  the  church,  and  the 
spirit  of  prayer  and  earnest  Christian  enterprise  among  the 
young  people  stirs  and  cheers  the  heart. 

In  Rye  Lane,  at  any  rate,  experience  has  shown  that  the 
best  way  to  quicken  life  and  service  in  the  Sunday-school 
is  to  develop  interest  in,  and  effort  on  behalf  of,  foreign 
missions. 

The  Oneness   of    Believers 

By  the  Rev.  F.  B.  Meyer,  B.  A. 

It  is  quite  clear  that  from  the  first  Jesus  Christ  anticipated 
that  his  people  should  be  one.  And  during  his  human  hfe 
he  uses  three  distinct  analogies.  He  said  that  his  church 
was  to  resemble  the  home,  in  which  there  are  brothers  and 
sisters,  and  the  play  of  many  dispositions.  He  said  that 
he  would  build  his  church  not  on  Petros,  the  apostle,  but 
petra,  the  testimony  that  the  apostle  gave  to  his  Deity,  the 
one  church  against  which  the  gates  of  hell  should  not 
prevail.  And  third,  he  left  the  upper  chamber  on  the  eve 
of  his  death  and  saw  the  vine  twining  itself  around  the 

176 


A  Missionary  Contributions  Thermometer. 


The  Oneness  of  Believers 

trellis  work,  and  he  compared  his  church  to  the  vine  with 
its  infinite  variety.  These  three  images  I  present  to  your 
notice.  The  unity  of  the  family,  the  unity  of  the  building, 
the  unity  of  the  vine,  and  I  might  add  the  unity  of  the 
flock,  for  there  is  no  doubt  that  the  King  James  translators 
yielded  to  their  ecclesiastical  bias  when  they  said,  ''There 
is  one  fold  and  one  shepherd."  I  cannot  think  so  badly 
of  their  Greek  as  to  say  they  did  not  know  that  the  "one" 
stood  for  flock — many  folds,  but  one  flock. 

Ultimately  in  his  high-priestly  prayer,  the  Master  said, 
"Father,  I  will  that  my  people  should  be  one;  that  they 
may  all  be  one;  that  they  may  be  perfected  in  one;  that 
they  may  be  one  even  as  thou,  Father,  art  in  me,  and  I  in 
thee,  that  they  may  be  one  in  us."  I  want  to  lay  hold  of 
that  for  a  moment,  for  it  is  the  keystone  of  the  arch  which 
I  desire  to  build  over  the  chasm  of  time — the  arch  of  unity. 

The  unity  of  the  church  on  earth  finds  its  model  in  the 
unity  of  the  Divine  nature,  and  you  will  allow  me  to  make 
the  point  here  that  the  unity  of  God  is  the  unity  which  is 
compatible  with  variety.  The  first  principle  w^ith  the 
Christian  and  with  the  Jew  and  with  the  Moslem  is,  the 
Lord  our  God  is  one.  And  I  shall  never  forget  hearing 
from  the  white  mosque  overlooking  Benares,  with  its 
myriads  of  deities,  the  voice  of  the  muezzin  caUing  out  in 
the  still  air,  "There  is  no  God  but  the  one  God." 

But  in  the  unity  of  God  there  is  the  variety  of  function 
and  purpose — Father,  Son  and  Spirit.  The  Father  designs, 
the  Son  executes.  The  Father  sends;  the  Son  is  sent,  and 
the  work  of  the  Spirit  is  diverse.  The  Father  is  the  light; 
the  Son  is  the  far-driven  beam;  and  the  Spirit  is  color.  And 
you  must  see,  therefore,  that  if  the  church  resembles  the 
unity  of  the  Deity,  it  must  be  capable  of  an  almost  infinite 
variety.  And  this  is  the  unity  of  the  believers  of  all  time 
and  of  every  climate — the  unity  of  the  one  church,  with  the 
variety  of  the  form  in  which  it  exemplifies  itself. 

Now,  that,  of  course,  excludes  the  idea  of  uniformity. 
12  177 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

And  we  shall  never  understand  God's  conception,  which, 
like  the  soaring  Alps,  rises  snow-capped  above  all  the  tumult 
and  turmoil  of  the  valley,  until  we  have  learned  to  dis- 
tinguish between  uniformity  and  unity.  A  brick  or  a  heap 
of  bricks,  is  a  uniformity,  but  a  house  with  its  variety  is 
a  unity.  A  pole  or  a  collection  of  poles  is  a  uniformity, 
but  the  tree  from  which  the  pole  is  taken,  with  its  variety 
of  branch  and  fruit,  is  a  unity.  A  collection  of  snowflakes 
is  a  uniformity,  but  a  snow  crystal  is  a  unity.  And  if  you 
want  to  think  truly  and  accurately  to-night,  and  I  am 
sure  you  do,  you  will  have  to  dismiss  from  your  mind  the 
thought  of  uniformity — for  God  is  not  uniform — and 
introduce  the  conception  of  variety  in  unity,  which  is  the 
true  and  Divine  thought. 

We  must,  therefore,  put  out  of  our  thinking  to-night  the 
uniformity  of  an  ecclesiastical  system.  That  was  the 
dream  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church — that  all  mankind 
should  worship  under  the  one  Pope,  utter  the  same  prayers, 
and  belong  to  the  same  ecclesiastical  system.  Then  by  fire 
and  sword  those  ecclesiastics  who  had  that  conception 
endeavored  to  put  it  into  effect,  and  before  the  breaking  of 
the  morning  of  the  Reformation  it  seemed  as  though  the 
Roman  Catholic  conception  of  uniformity  prevailed  all 
through  Europe  and  the  world.  And  in  the  words  of  the 
Assyrian  adage  one  might  have  said,  ''As  one  gathereth  eggs, 
I  have  gathered  all  these  around,  but  none  moved  its  wing 
or  peeped."  But  it  was  the  uniformity  of  death,  for  the 
whole  of  Europe  was  as  though  it  w^as  frost-bound  by  one 
terrible  paralysis  of  spiritual  decay  and  death. 

But  out  of  the  ecclesiastical  system  came  the  uniformity 
of  doctrinal  agreement.  I  know  in  my  country  a  body  of 
Christians  that  have  based  their  oneness  on  the  idea  that 
all  men  should  think  alike.  As  well  may  Charles  the  Fifth 
make  all  his  watches  and  clocks  strike  alike,  for  the  Hght 
of  truth  strikes  the  facet  of  the  human  mind  at  a  different 
angle.     My  doxy  and  your  doxy  will  never  be  in  perfect 

178 


The  Oneness  of  Believers 

sympathy.  There  always  will  be  the  one  man  who  thinks 
as  the  Calvinist  and  the  one  who  thinks  as  the  Arminian — 
the  man  who  lays  stress  upon  the  grace  of  God,  and  the 
man  who  lays  stress  upon  free  will,  and  you  never  will  in 
this  world  be  able  to  secure  absolute  uniformity  of  thinking, 
and  if  you  did,  it  would  be  the  paralysis  of  thought. 

But  when  you  have  put  out  of  your  thinking  the  uniformity 
of  an  ecclesiastical  system,  and  the  uniformity  of  similar 
intellectual  conceptions,  you  come  back  to  what  I  started 
with,  the  conception — God's  conception — of  unity,  which  is 
consistent  with  variety,  and  that  is  the  unity  of  life.  See 
that  body — a  human  body — there  is  variety  from  the  heart 
to  the  blood  disc,  from  the  lung  to  the  nerve — infinite 
variety  of  articulation  and  function,  yet  the  body  is  one. 

Take  the  tree.  There  is  variety  from  the  root  hidden  in 
the  earth  to  the  tip  of  the  bough  and  leaves  which  make 
music  in  the  wind,  and  the  nuts  that  fall  upon  the  forest 
floor — infinite  variety,  but  it  is  the  variety  which  is  con- 
sistent with  the  unity  of  life.  Take  the  Bible,  the  living 
Book.  There  is  variety  of  authorship — prophet,  priest, 
psalmist,  king,  saint,  sage — variety  of  style — prose,  poetry, 
proverb,  history.  It  has  the  variety  of  age.  Some  of  those 
words  were  written  when  the  pyramids  were  new,  and  others 
when  pagan  Rome  was  crumbhng  beneath  corruption,  and 
yet  the  Bible  is  one.  So  with  the  church.  Some  prefer 
the  method  of  the  Methodists,  and  others  the  freedom  of  the 
Congregationalists.  Some  prefer  to  live  under  the  crozier 
of  an  archbishop,  and  others  under  the  mild  sway  of  a 
Salvation  Army  lass.  Some  pray  best  when  they  can  shout 
most,  and  others  pray  best  when  in  the  Quaker  meeting  they 
are  absolutely  still.  But  amid  all  the  variety,  thank  God 
there  is  the  true  unity  of  life,  for  there  is  one  body,  because 
there  is  one  Spirit,  one  God,  and  Father  of  all,  who  is  above 
all  and  through  all  and  in  all;  ''One  hope,  one  faith,  one 
baptism,"  is  the  unity  of  life  which  is  consistent  with  an 
infinite  variety. 

179 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

Now,  take  one  other  step,  and  this  goes  deeper  than  all. 
We  have  seen  the  model  of  our  unity  in  God's  nature,  which, 
though  one,  is  diverse  and  varied  in  function,  that  it  is  the 
unity  and  variety  of  all  living  things  which  abhors  uniformity, 
for  uniformity  is  always  death,  whilst  unity  is  consistent 
with  the  fullest  and  richest  life.  Now  we  come  deeper  than 
ever  to  understand  the  unit  of  this  unity.  It  is  the  attitude 
of  the  believer  to  his  Lord.  For  first,  every  believer  is  in 
Christ,  and  second,  Christ  is  in  every  believer. 

First,  every  believer  is  in  Christ — in  Christ's  hands.  He 
holds  them  as  he  holds  the  ocean.  In  Christ's  heart.  It  is 
engraved  there  with  indehble  letters.  In  Christ's  person, 
for  you  and  I,  every  one,  stand  before  God  in  him.  In 
Christ's  grace,  as  a  tree  in  the  soil,  or  as  a  building  deeply 
rooted  in  the  rock.  Stay  for  a  moment;  fix  that;  don't  let 
us  leave  it.  Understand  that  wherever  you  may  be,  what- 
ever your  emotions,  whatever  your  consciousness,  that  if  you 
desire  Christ,  if  your  nature  goes  toward  God,  if  you  have 
the  faith  that  touches  the  hem  of  Christ's  garment,  you  are 
in  him,  the  living  Christ,  and  in  him  you  stand  eternally 
before  God. 

But  the  other  is  true.  Christ  is  in  the  believer  as  the 
steam  is  in  the  cylinder;  as  the  blood  is  in  the  veins;  as  the 
sap  is  in  the  branch.  "What,  know  ye  not  that  Jesus  Christ 
is  in  you,  except  ye  be  reprobates  ?  "  As  the  sponge  is  in  the 
water,  and  the  water  in  the  sponge,  we  are  in  Christ,  and 
Christ  is  in  us  forever. 

But  see,  if  you  as  a  believer  are  in  Christ,  and  Christ  is  in 
you,  what  is  true  of  you  is  true  of  every  other  believer.  He 
may  belong  to  the  Roman  Catholic  Church;  he  may  belong 
to  the  Greek  Church;  he  may  belong  to  the  Quakers  who 
have  no  church;  he  may  belong  to  the  Salvation  Army, 
which  is  becoming  a  church,  but  whatever  that  man's 
name  and  sign  may  be,  if  he  is  in  Christ  and  Christ  is  in  him, 
hejs  one  with  me  in  the  body  of  Christ,  and  I  am  one  with 
him.     There  are  some  true  believers  in  Christ  in  the  Roman 

1 80 


The  Oneness  of  Believers 

Catholic  Church.  There  are  some  true  believers  in  Christ 
in  the  Greek  Church.  There  are  some  true  believers  in 
Christ  who  are  in  no  church  at  all.  They  may  not  own 
each  other.  The  hand  may  say  to  the  foot,  I  have  no  need 
of  thee,  but  it  does  not  alter  the  fact  that  since  each  is  in 
Christ  each  is  a  member  of  the  other,  and  five  minutes  in 
heaven  will  settle  the  whole  thing.  I  have  mixed  more  than 
most  men  with  men  of  every  ecclesiastical  and  no  eccle- 
siastical relationship.  I  have  often  felt  that  they  looked 
down  on  me  because  I  haven't  the  orders  (I  have  not  stooped 
beneath  the  Bishop)  and  was  just  a  simple  Free  Churchman, 
and  I  was  rather  thankful  I  had  come  of  a  purer  stock. 
I  have  always  felt  that  one  day  I  should  have  my  revenge, 
if  revenge  is  possible  in  Paradise.  They  shall  confess  to  me 
that  they  didn't  know  the  width  of  God's  great  church,  which 
is  as  broad  and  wide  as  the  universe  itself.  God  never 
asked  us  whom  we  would  like  to  have  as  a  brother  or  sister. 
We  woke  up  one  day  and  found  that  such  and  such,  a 
disagreeable  or  an  agreeable  person,  was  attached  to  us  for 
the  remainder  of  our  mortal  life;  we  were  never  asked  about 
it.  If  we  had  been  asked  we  would  have  chosen  somebody 
else's  sister  or  brother  with  great  comfort.  In  God's 
conception  to-day,  brothers  and  sisters,  we  are  one  with  all 
those  who  call  him  our  Father  and  who  acknowledge  Jesus 
Christ  as  Redeemer  and  Saviour. 

I  begin  to  think  it  is  a  blessing  that  we  are  so  various. 
What  would  be  more  miserable  than  if  all  the  world  were 
Baptists!  I  confess  that  with  all  their  agreeable  traits,  I  am 
glad  I  am  not  compelled  forever  after  to  live  with  Baptists 
only.  They  are  as  good  as  plums  in  the  Christmas  pudding, 
but  it  wouldn't  do  to  have  a  pudding  all  plums.  Do  you 
realize  that  all  the  world  probably  receives  a  truer  con- 
ception of  the  gospel  because  every  distinct  regiment  in 
the  great  army  has  its  own  special  banner  and  presents 
its  own  side  of  Christianity?  This  body  of  Christians 
contends  for  a  specific  side  of  truth,  and  this  for  another, 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

and  probably  the  whole  glory  of  the  gospel  comes  out  best 
by  every  color  in  the  prism  keeping  to  itself.  If  all  were 
red,  where  would  be  the  white  light,  or  blue.  There  would 
be  no  pure  beam  of  light.  It  is  because  every  distinct  color 
in  the  rainbow  keeps  to  itself  that  we  get  the  full-orbed 
glory  of  the  day.  Baptist,  remain  Baptist.  Be  a  good 
Baptist,  and  be  thankful  that  you  are  next  door  to  a  Metho- 
dist. And  you  Quaker,  be  a  good  Quaker,  a  true  mystic, 
but  remember  how  much  you  may  gain  from  the  Salvationist, 
or  even  the  high  Anglican.  Let  each  be  true  to  its  traditions 
and  communicate  with  the  others. 

Think  for  a  minute  of  this  indissoluble  union.  The 
Legates  said  to  Savonarola,  "I  cut  you  off  from  the. church 
militant  and  from  the  church  triumphant."  Savonarola 
might  have  said,  "  You  cannot  do  either,"  but  he  didn't  ;  he 
said,  "From  the  church  mihtant  you  may,  but  from  the 
church  triumphant,  never."  When  a  man  comes  to  you 
and  says,  ''you  schismatic,"  the  word  we  discover  means 
division — a  schismatic  is  a  man  who  divides  from  the  church. 
The  question  is,  what  church  ?  If  the  church  is  the  Catholic 
Church  and  we  are  not  in  it,  it  may  apply  to  us,  or  a  church 
that  has  certain  holy  orders  and  we  are  outside  of  it,  it  may 
apply  to  us,  but  we  hold  that  the  word  schismatic  is  true 
only  of  those  who  divide  from  the  one  holy  Catholic  Church, 
of  which  Jesus  Christ  is  the  head,  and,  therefore,  nothing 
but  apostasy  from  Christ  can  make  you  schismatics.  We 
are  one  with  each  other.  I  don't  know  if  you  have  in 
America  what  we  have  in  the  Strand,  London,  but  those 
of  you  who  have  visited  London  may  have  met  coming 
along  the  Strand  a  number  of  board  carriers.  Each  man 
bears  aloft  a  letter,  and  if  only  they  keep  hne,  which  they 
don't  always  do,  as  you  advance  down  the  street  to  meet 
them,  you  are  able  to  spell  out  the  word  or  the  sentence 
which  the  advertisement  desires  to  impress  upon  your 
mind.  The  various  churches  or  sects,  or  denominations, 
are  marching  through  the  world  to-day,  every  one  bearing 

182 


The  Oneness  of  Believers 

its  own  characteristics,  and  when  you  put  all  the  charac- 
teristics together,  you  get  the  full  message  of  salvation  for 

"*  Andhstly,  I  believe,  brothers  and  sisters  that  some  of  us 
have    been    making    a    grave    mistake. .  We    have    been 
antagonizing  the  Roman  Catholic;  we  have  been  antagomz- 
ing   the   Greek   Christian;   antagonizing   those   who   don  t 
agree  with  us,  instead  of  believing  that  there  was  a  common 
unity   between  us,   and   trying  to  discover   the  points   o 
agreement  rather  than  those  of  discord.     I  believe  that  if 
the  churches  that  I  address  to-night  would  only  endeavor 
to  find  the  points  of  agreement  in  one  another,  and  remain 
churches  as  they  appear,  we  should  do  a  great  deal  to 
manifest  the  true  unity  of  the  body  of  Christ-one  bread, 
one  cup,  one  faith,  one  purpose,  one  baptism    one  Lord. 
In  our  hymns  and  in  our  worship  we  are  one.     The  church, 
like  the  New  Jerusalem,  has  many  gates  and  many  stones 
in  its  foundation,  but  there  shines  out  the  one  glory,  God, 
tlie  one  bride  of  Christ.    Behold  her  as  God  sees  her. 
Behold  her,  and  go  forth  from  this  place  to  smg  her  glory 
and  unity.     And  remember  when  you  sing  the  glory  and 
the  unity  and  blessing  of  other  denominations  than  your 
own    and  of  other  churches  than  your  own,  you  are  most 
certain  to  get  blessing  for  yourselves.     It  is  when  the  member 
cares  for  other  members  that  it  is  healthy      I  have  found 
in  my  own  ministry  that  supposing  I  pray  for  my  own  httle 
flock!  God  bless  me,  God  fill  my  pews    God  send  me  a 
revival,  I  miss  the  blessing,  but  as  I  pray  for  my  big  brother 
Mr.  Spurgeon,  on  the  right  hand  side  oi  my  church,  God 
Wess  him'or  my  other  big  brother,  Campbell  Morgan,  on 
the  other  kde  of  my  church,  God  bless  him,  I  am  sure  to  g 
a  blessing  without  praying  for  it,  for  the  overflow  o    the 
cups  fills  my  Uttle  bucket.     Again  and  again  I  have  seen  it 
n  my  Ufe,  a  church  forgetting  the  unity  of  the  body  seeking 
to  gain. for  itself  wealth  and  success  and  missing    hem;  but 
directly   a   church,   remembering   the   umty   of   the   body, 

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Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

seeks  the  blessing  and  success  of  the  other  members  of  that 
body,  itself  becomes  healthy  and  strong.  Remember, 
remember,  there  is  coming  a  time,  my  friends,  God  hasten 
it,  when  the  wonderful  movement  which  I  am  addressing 
here  to-night  will  be  but  a  sample  and  specimen  of  a  wider 
movement.  In  some  vast  convocation  a  mission  will  meet 
some  day,  my  friends,  in  a  Colosseum  built  big  enough  to 
hold  us,  and  from  the  north,  south,  east,  west,  will  come 
a  great  multitude  whom  no  man  can  number,  of  all  nations 
and  kindred  and  people  and  tongues,  singing  the  same 
songs,  though  with  a  different  accent,  loving  the  same 
Lord,  redeemed  by  the  same  blood.  This  shall  be  the 
beginning  of  a  unity  which  shall  pass  throughout  the  whole 
universe.  The  universe  means  unity.  And  God  shall  sum 
up  in  Christ  all  things  which  are  in  heaven  and  on  earth, 
even  in  him  to  whom  be  glory  forever  and  ever.     Amen. 


The  International  Bible   Reading  Association 

By  Charles  Waters 

"All  scripture  inspired  of  God  is  also  profitable  for 
teaching,  for  reproof,  for  correction,  for  instruction  which 
is  in  righteousness;  that  the  man  of  God  may  be  complete, 
furnished  completely  unto  every  good  work"  (R.  V.). 

So  wrote  the  great  Apostle  from  his  Roman  prison,  and 
with  martyrdom  close  at  hand,  to  his  beloved  Timothy. 
And  we  who  are  gathered  in  the  same  city  from  far  and 
near  are  here  as  witnesses  to  the  truth  of  that  statement, 
and  to  avow  our  love  for  the  Scriptures  which  have  been 
handed  down  to  us  as  a  treasure  to  be  jealously  preserved 
and  carefully  handed  on  to  the  generations  to  follow. 

Believing  that  the  Scriptures  are  all  that  Paul  said,  and 
that  they  "are  able  to  make  wise  unto  salvation  through 
faith,  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus"  we  do  well  to  devote  our- 
selves to  the  teaching  of  them  to  our  children  as  the  most 
precious  knowledge  they  can  attain.     May  our  visit  to  the 

184 


The  I.  B.  R.  A. 

city  crowded  with  memories  of  the  great  Apostle  to  the 
Gentiles  send  us  back  to  our  homes  and  to  our  work,  with 
a  resolve  to  be  more  than  ever  earnest  in  our  work,  so  that 
we  too  may  be  able  in  our  measure  to  say  in  the  end,  "  I  have 
fought  a  good  fight,  I  have  kept  the  faith." 

The  subject  of  my  paper  is  a  society  formed  for  the 
purpose  of  promoting  the  daily  study  of  those  Scriptures 
recommended  by  the  Apostle  Paul.  The  International 
Bible  Reading  Association  (familiarly  known  as  the  "I.  B. 
R.  A.")  has  for  its  ideal  an  open  Bible  in  every  home.  It 
is  a  great  imagination,  and  may  seem  to  be  beyond  the 
reach  of  effort;  but  the  object  is  one  which  must  certainly 
be  in  accord  with  the  Divine  Will,  and  ''nothing  is  too  hard 
for  the  Lord."  And  even  if  it  be  that  our  eyes  may  not  see 
the  accompHshment  of  our  ideal,  we  still  have  the  satisfaction 
of  knowing  that  every  step  taken  is  something  gained  and  is 
itself  a  definite  good;  so  that  we  have  not  to  wait  for  the 
final  result  before  realizing  some  degree  of  satisfaction  and 
blessing  in  homes  consecrated  and  hves  illumined  by  the 
love  of  God.  The  plan  of  the  Association  is  to  use  the 
International  Lesson  verses  for  reading  in  the  early  days  of 
the  week,  and  to  select  for  the  other  days  such  parts  of  the 
Bible  as  may  best  throw  light  upon  the  subject.  In  making 
the  selections,  two  objects  are  kept  in  view — to  instruct — 
by  comparing  Scripture  with  Scripture  and  to  influence  by 
striving,  as  far  as  the  subject  permits,  to  make  every  week's 
readings  lead  up  to  spiritual  teaching.  This  is  known  to 
Bible  students  as  topical  study,  and  it  is  not  open  to  the 
charge  of  being  "hop,  skip,  and  jump"  or  of  being  without 
method. 

The  idea  of  the  International  Bible  Reading  Association 
originated  in  a  small  Committee  gathered  in  1879,  to  con- 
sider methods  of  promoting  the  spiritual  success  of  Sunday- 
schools,  but  it  was  not  until  the  close  of  1881  that  it  was 
taken  in  hand  and  the  organization  definitely  formed. 
When  started  with  the  vear  1882,  the  plan  found  ready 

185 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

acceptance,  and  in  the  first  year  ii,ooo  members  were 
enrolled.  It  was  evident  that  the  little  sapling  had  struck 
root  and  the  twenty-five  years  which  have  since  passed 
have  witnessed  the  deepening  of  its  roots  and  the  spread  of 
its  branches,  until  to-day  it  includes  nearly  a  milhon  of 
daily  Bible  readers. 

Our  great  Bible  Societies  have  done  splendid  work  in 
broadcasting  the  seed  of  the  Word  of  God  among  all 
nations,  and  the  International  Bible  Reading  Association 
has  followed  as  a  practical  ally,  to  impress  the  truth  that 
the  Bible  is  not  only  to  be  possessed  but  is  to  be  read  in  the 
home  as  well  as  in  religious  services,  and  every  day  as  well 
as  on  Sunday.  There  is  need  to  emphasize  this  truth  in  the 
circumstances  of  to-day  when  the  surfeit  of  Hterature  of  all 
kinds,  so  much  of  it  pernicious  rather  than  helpful,  tends 
to  sweep  aside  the  noblest  of  all  literature  and  to  give  it 
a  back  place  in  our  thought.  The  Bible  is  the  most  widely 
circulated  book  in  the  world,  and  yet  how  many  who  possess 
it  are  unable  from  want  of  practise  to  find  their  way  in  it,  or 
to  say  with  the  Psalmist,  ''Oh,  how  I  love  thy  law!  It  is 
my  meditation  all  the  day."  We  have  had  in  London 
a  merchant  who  styled  himself  a  "Universal  Provider," 
but  the  International  Bible  Reading  Association  makes  no 
such  pretentious  claim  in  regard  to  Bible  study.  Its  great 
concern  is  to  ensure  the  daily  use  of  the  Bible  by  young 
people  and  busy  men  and  women,  in  the  full  conviction  that 
a  most  helpful  habit  will  thus  be  formed,  and  that  the 
experience  will  lead  to  fuller  and  deeper  study  of  the  Word 
of  God.  It  does  claim,  and  the  experience  of  twenty-five 
years  fully  justifies  it,  that  by  its  simplicity  it  is  adapted  to, 
and  finds  acceptance  with,  the  great  body  of  people  who 
would  not  consider  a  more  elaborate  scheme  of  study,  and 
by  that  means  is  accomplishing  a  vast  amount  of  good  which 
would  not  be  secured  by  methods  which  might  perhaps 
seem  to  be  more  suitable  by  biblical  students  as  such.  It 
brings  the  Bible  and  its  teaching  into  contact  with  the  daily 

i86 


The  I.  B.  R.  A. 

life  of  the  family  or  the  soHtary  Hfe  of  the  individual,  and 
has  in  very  many  cases  been  the  incentive  to  family  worship, 
a  practise  all  too  uncommon  even  in  Christian  homes. 
It  is  certainly  no  exaggeration  to  say  that  in  many  thousands 
of  homes  to-day  there  is  an  influence  exerted  which  was 
lacking  before  the  introduction  of  the  International  Bible 
Reading  Association.  The  importance  of  such  an  influence 
is  undoubted,  and  the  agency  which  fosters  it  proves  itself 
worthy  of  the  practical  interest  and  support  of  all  true 
Christians,  and  especially  of  Sunday-school  workers. 

The  Association  is  based  on  the  broad  foundation  fact 
that  the  Bible  is  acknowledged  by  all  evangehcal  churches 
as  the  basis  of  their  faith  and  practise.  It  favors  no  denomi- 
nation, but  rather  seeks  to  let  the  Bible  speak  for  itself. 
In  this  it  may  fairly  claim  to  have  succeeded,  inasmuch  as 
its  members  are  connected  ^vith  churches  of  more  than 
fifty  different  names.  ;  This  is  possible  without  any  sacrifice 
of  principle,  and  the  fact  is  of  great  interest  because  it 
indicates  a  practical  idea  in  which  there  is  to  some  extent 
secured  that  unity  of  spirit  for  which  our  Lord  himself 
prayed— "that  they  all  may  be  one." 

It  would  occupy  too  many  of  the  precious  minutes  of  this 
Convention  to  give  even  a  selection  of  the  numerous  tes- 
timonies which  have  been  received  from  almost  every  land. 
It  must  suffice  to  say  that  these  testimonies  prove  the 
suitability  of  the  plan  to  the  child  and  the  veteran,  its 
adaptability  to  the  Sunday-school,  the  home,  the  factory, 
the  workroom,  the  military  camp,  the  sailor's  cabin,  the 
hospital,  the  asylum,  the  poorhouse,  the  orphanage,  and 
circumstances  of  every  kind.  They  show  that  it  has  helped 
the  minister  and  the  Sunday-school  teacher  and  that  it  has 
been  a  source  of  comfort  to  the  sorrowing  and  afiiicted, 
companionship  to  the  lonely  prairie  dweller  and  the  isolated 
missionary  surrounded  by  heathen  barbarism.  I  can 
testify  to  the  value  of  the  prayers  of  many  who  cannot  work, 
but  who  on  their  beds  are  dailv  praying  for  a  blessing  on  our 

187 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

efforts.  They  also  prove  the  fact  that  the  Bible  has  been 
appreciated  and  understood  as  it  was  not  before,  and,  best 
of  all,  that  in  many  cases  it  has  opened  the  way  for  the 
seeker  to  the  Saviour,  and  so  brought  salvation  to  the  peni- 
tent soul.  The  great  majority  of  the  members  of  the  Asso- 
ciation are  naturally  those  who  read  the  EngHsh  Bible,  but 
there  has  always  been  a  readiness  to  enter  any  field  where 
there  is  any  hope  of  success,  and  its  readings  are  now 
issued  in  thirty  languages.  It  follows  that  in  addition  to  the 
English-speaking  members  in  many  parts  of  the  world,  the 
daily  portions  are  being  read  by  Welshmen,  Swedes,  Nor- 
wegians, Danes,  Finns,  Russians,  Letts,  Dutchmen, 
Germans,  Bohemians,  Hungarians,  Spaniards,  Portuguese, 
Italians,  Syrians,  Moors,  Chinese,  Kaffirs,  Basutos,  South 
African  Boers,  Samoans,  Rarotongand,  Argentinos,  Bra- 
zilians, Costa  Ricans,  Nicaraguans,  as  well  as  the  various 
peoples  of  India,  who  are  reading  in  Bengali,  Hindi, 
Marathi,  Gujerathi,  Urdu,  Oriya,  Kanarese,  Malay alam, 
Karen,  Tamil,  Telugu  and  Sinhalese.  Here  again  is 
exemplified  the  unity  of  purpose  and  the  fusion  of  tongues 
which  in  a  measure  is  remedying  the  confusion  of  Babel. 

To-day  it  is  my  great  joy  to  greet  friends  from  all  the 
countries  represented  in  this  Convention  in  which  are 
members  of  our  Association — comrades  not  only  in  weekly 
but  daily  study  of  the  Word  of  God. 

The  central  organization  of  the  Association  consists  of 
a  small  Committee  with  the  Honorary  General  Secretary 
and  a  staff  of  paid  clerks  who  keep  the  records  and  distribute 
the  Membership  cards,  etc.,  to  the  branches.  Some  twenty 
thousand  letters  are  received  and  dealt  with  in  the  course  of 
the  year,  and  fifteen  millions  of  various  cards  and  leaflets 
are  sent  out  to  seventy  or  eighty  different  countries.  The 
next  unit  is  the  District  Secretary,  of  whom  there  are  about 
eighty  in  Great  Britain  and  abroad.  These  are  chiefly  in 
large  centers  of  population,  and  distribute  supplies  to 
branches  in  their  localities. 

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The  I.  B.  R.  A. 

The  Branches  are  formed  in  connection  with  Churches, 
Sunday-schools,  or  other  organizations,  and  are  worked  by 
the  Branch  Secretaries  who  enroll  members  and  issue  the 
cards  of  membership.  Of  these  there  are  13,000.  There 
is  thus  a  living  bond  uniting  every  part  of  the  great  company, 
exerting  its  influence  from  center  to  circumference,  and 
reflecting  in  encouraging  testimony  from  the  outer  circle 
to  the  center. 

Strong  emphasis  is  placed  upon  the  idea  of  membership 
of  the  organization  because  experience  proves  that  it  is 
a  bond  which  holds  the  interest  and  so  helps  to  strengthen 
the  habit  of  daily  Bible  study  which  the  mere  purchaser  of 
literature  would  not  do. 

.  There  is  the  sentiment  of  comradeship  extending  its 
influence  into  all  parts  of  the  world,  and  reminding  its 
members  day  by  day  of  the  great  company,  who  though  they 
may  not  meet  in  one  place  or  ever  see  each  others'  faces, 
are  yet  gathering  about  the  Book,  drawing  from  it  inspi- 
ration, instruction,  and  help  in  the  daily  life,  and  prompt- 
ing the  frequent  prayer  in  which  you  are  asked  to  unite, 
"God  bless  the  members  of  The  International  Bible  Read- 
ing Association." 


REPORTS   FROM   THE   WORLD   FIELD 


"The  World's  Sunday  School  Visitation." 

A  Sunday  School  Missionary  Tour  Around  the  World, 
January  to  July,  1909. 


Your  Committee  to  whom  was  referred  the  question  of 
a  world-wide  tour,  in  the  interests  of  the  work  of  The 
World's  Sunday  School  Association,  report  in  favor  of  the 
proposition,  and  suggest: 

1.  That  the  tour  be  known  as 

"  The  World's  Sunday  School  Visitation." 

2.  That  the  object  shall  be  to  confer  and  co-operate 
with  the  Sunday  School  workers,  especially  in  Japan, 
India  and  China,  for  the  purpose  of  extending  and  im- 
proving the  work,  and  encouraging  the  workers. 

3.  That  the  visitation  party  should  be  composed  of 
practical  Sunday  School  workers,  willing  to  bear  their  own 
expenses,  and  who  are  ready  to  give  their  time  and  efforts 
for  the  extension  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ  through  the 
Sunday  School. 

4.  It  is  suggested  that  a  Committee  of  five  be  appointed 
with  full  authority  to  make  all  necessary  arrangements  for 
the  visitation. 

Signed:    J.  C.  Hartzell,  Africa,  Chairman. 
H.  J.  Heinz,  U.  S.  A. 
Carey  Bonner,  England. 
W.  N.  Hartshorn,  U.  S.  A. 
Marion  Lawrance,  U.  S.  A. 


192 


The  Work  of  the  Continental  Sunday  School  Mission 

By  Charles  Waters 

As  an  introduction  to  the  messages  to  which  you  are  about 
to  hsten  from  representatives  of  Sunday-school  activity  in 
the  countries  of  Europe,  it  will  be  appropriate  that  a  brief 
statement,  dealing  with  the  relations  of  the  British  Sunday 
School  Union  to  this  enterprise  should  be  given. 

At  a  comparatively  early  period  in  its  history  of  more  than 
a  century,  its  sympathetic  attention  was  directed  to  certain 
isolated  pioneer  efforts  on  behalf  of  the  spiritual  interest  of 
the  children  of  Europe. 

Thus,  in  the  year  1815,  a  grant  of  ;^io  was  made  to  a 
French  pastor  whereby  the  first  Protestant  Sunday-school 
in  France  was  commenced  at  or  near  Bordeaux,  and  from 
time  to  time  as  the  movement  spread  to  other  parts  of  the 
country  similar  help  was  given. 

x\gain  in  1828  a  small  grant  was  instrumental  in  opening 
up  Sunday-school  work  in  Denmark,  while  help  w^as  given, 
mainly  in  the  form  of  books,  to  other  countries — notably 
Germany  and  Norway. 

It  was  not,  however,  until  some  years  later,  following  upon 
the  first  Sunday  School  Convention  held  in  London,  in  1862, 
when  stirred  by  the  earnest  pleading  of  Mr.  Albert  Woodruff 
of  Brooklyn,  that  the  Committee  of  the  Union  seriously 
turned  its  attention  to  the  idea  of  an  active  Sunday-school 
propaganda  for  the  continent  of  Europe  generally. 

With  an  exchequer  already  overdrawn,  the  proposal  to 
embark  upon  such  an  enterprise,  involving  considerable 
expenditure,  appeared  alm.ost  quixotic,  but  so  impressed 
was  the  Committee  with  the  urgency  of  the  call  to  action, 
and  the  immense  possibilities  for  good  arising  therefrom,  that 
it  was  felt  impossible  to  hold  back. 

A  special  Committee  of  the  Sunday  School  Union  was 
consequently  appointed  in  1864,  to  initiate  and  carry  on  the 

193 


Sunday  Scliools  the  World  Around 

work  of  what  has  ever  since  been  known  as  the  Continental 
Sunday  School  Mission.  A  fund  was  started  and  the  first 
appeal  issued  for  raising  the  means  necessary  to  promote 
the  enterprise. 

The  general  pohcy  of  the  Mission  may  be  thus  summar- 
ized: By  correspondence  with  Christian  men  on  the  Conti- 
nent the  evident  needs  and  conditions  under  which  the  work 
could  be  done  in  a  given  country  were  ascertained,  with 
a  view  to  the  appointment  of  a  qualified  worker  as  Sunday- 
school  missionary,  should  such  a  course  be  calculated  to 
assist  in  the  spread  of  the  movement.  This  assurance 
secured,  the  friends  on  the  spot  were  encouraged  to  seek 
out  such  a  man,  able  to  press  foiward  the  spiritual  claims 
of  the  children,  irrespective  of  creed  or  denomination. 

Local  committees,  representative  as  far  as  possible  of  all 
shades  of  evangelical  belief  were  then  formed  whose  business 
it  was  to  direct  and  supervise  the  journeys  of  the  missionary, 
receive  his  periodical  reports  and  forward  them  to  the  Com- 
mittee in  London. 

A  monetary  grant  was  then  made  for  the  support  of  the 
missionary  on  the  condition  that  a  proportionate  amount 
was  raised  by  the  local  Committee. 

Endeavors  were  made  to  enlist  the  interest  and  co- 
operation of  the  Continental  churches  in  what  was,  in  most 
countries,  a  new  effort.  This  was  not  altogether  an  easy 
task  and  in  the  early  days  especially  much  indifference,  and 
even  opposition,  had  to  be  encountered  and  overcome, 
requiring  considerable  tact  and  much  patience  on  the  part 
of  the  workers. 

The  ultimate  end  in  view  was  the  founding  of  Sunday 
School  Unions,  and  the  handing  over  of  the  enterprise  when 
consolidated  to  their  sole  charge  and  support. 

The  first  country  to  receive  the  support  of  the  Continental 
Sunday  School  Mission  was  Germany.  Mr  Brockelmann, 
of  Heidelberg,  was  appointed  as  missionary.  He  continued 
his  labors  with  the  greatest  devotion  and  with  much  success 

194 


Continental  Sunday  School  Mission 

until  the  close  of  his  useful  hfe  in  December,  1892.  This 
was  quickly  followed  by  a  grant  of  half  salary  and  traveling 
expenses  for  an  agent  in  France  under  the  direction  of  the 
Paris  Sunday  School  Society,  and  the  engagement  of  the 
Rev.  S.  Janlinus  Cook  as  an  agent  for  a  portion  of  the  year 
as  missionary  in  Switzerland. 

After  the  lapse  of  ten  years  the  Continental  Committee 
was  enabled  with  thanksgiving  to  review^  the  progress  of  the 
enterprise.  The  three  missionaries  had  increased  to  seven. 
In  France  the  work  of  Pastor  Weiss  had  resulted  in  a  wider 
sympathy  with  the  aims  of  the  local  Committee,  which 
reported  a  then  total  of  nine  hundred  and  sixty  Protestant 
Schools,  while  in  Germany  the  movement  had  enlisted  even 
the  attention  of  the  Throne — the  Queen  paying  a  personal 
visit  to  one  of  the  schools,  and  much  of  the  opposition  of  the 
clergy  and  civil  authorities  had  been  overcome. 

In  Holland,  also,  the  Sunday-school  idea  had  been  wel- 
comed, and  much  energy  was  put  forth  in  the  endeavor  to 
embody  it  in  practical  effort.  The  Netherlands  Sunday 
School  Union,  formed  in  1866,  reported  five  hundred  and 
twenty  schools  with  about  58,000  scholars. 

In  Sweden  and  Norway  a  beginning  had  been  made, 
destined  as  was  evident  in  later  years,  to  excelled  the  most 
sanguine  hopes  of  its  promoters.  Further  progress  had  been 
made  in  Switzerland  and  a  beginning  in  Austria. 

At  the  close  of  a  second  decade,  the  number  of  Sunday- 
school  missionaries  had  further  increased  to  sixteen,  while 
encouraging  advance  had  been  made  in  the  provision  of 
Sunday-school  literature,  magazines  and  Scripture  leaflets 
being  published  in  many  countries,  plates  for  which  were 
supplied  by  the  London  Committee,  these  silent  messen- 
gers proving  a  means  of  blessing  not  only  to  the  children  but 
to  parents  in  many  a  home  circle. 

During  this  period  Italy  itself  had  received  the  Sunday- 
school,  beginning  at  Spezia  and  Milan. 

Occasional  visits  were  made  to  the  Continent  on  behalf 
195 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

of  the  Committee  and  resulting  from  one  of  these,  the  Union 
formed  in  Berlin  was  reorganized  and  subsequently  a  new 
Union  at  Hamburg. 

In  order  to  obtain  a  more  intimate  knowledge  of  the  con- 
ditions under  which  the  work  was  being  done,  and  still 
further  the  development  of  the  Sunday-school  system,  the 
London  Committee  in  1885  appointed  a  "traveling  super- 
intendent" of  the  Mission.  His  official  labors  extended 
over  a  period  of  ten  years,  during  which  time  he  visited  all 
parts  of  the  field,  and  accomplished  much  in  the  direction 
of  improvement  in  methods  and  organization,  as  well  as 
in  the  imparting  of  encouragement  to  Sunday-school 
workers. 

The  name  of  Mr.  Thomas  Edwards  is  still  a  grateful  rec- 
ollection in  many  Sunday-school  centers  in  Europe. 

Forty-two  years  have  passed  since  the  Sunday  School 
Union  Continental  Mission  was  inaugurated  and  the  record 
of  work  accomplished  shows  abundant  evidence  of  the 
Divine  approval  and  blessing. 

To-day  it  is  helping  to  maintain  twenty-one  Sunday-school 
missionaries  and  agents  in  France,  Germany,  Holland, 
Italy,  Russian  Poland,  Baltic  Provinces,  Norway  and 
Sweden,  in  each  of  which  countries  Unions  are  established, 
while  negotiations  are  in  progress  whereby  we  hope  that 
ere  long  similar  work  on  organized  lines  will  be  undertaken 
in  Hungary,  Bohemia,  Russia  proper,  and  Portugal. 

Attention  has  also  been  given  to  the  work  in  Spain  so  far 
as  the  present  conditions  allow,  to  Austria  and  Belgium. 

Through  all  these  years  the  work  of  the  Mission  has  been 
made  possible  by  the  gifts  of  teachers  and  scholars  of  the 
Sunday-schools  of  Britain. 

Reviewing  generally  the  present  position,  we  may  con- 
fidently say  that  the  Sunday-school  idea  has  developed  to 
such  a  degree  as  to  show  that  the  system  when  properly 
understood  and  efficiently  worked,  is  capable  of  becoming 
one  of  the  most,  if  not  the  most,  fruitful  of  all  fields  of 

196 


North  Africa 

Christian 'activity,  adapted  to  satisfy  the  spiritual  needs  of 
the  youth  of  all  nations. 

The  messages  to  which  you  will  listen,  by  men  who  have 
been  captivated  by  the  aims  of  the  movement  and  the 
experience  gained  therein,  will  abundantly  show  this. 

While  we  "thank  God  and  take  courage"  from  what  has 
been  done  in  the  past,  we  realize  that  there  is  very  much 
land  yet  to  be  possessed,  for  in  some  countries  there  is  even 
yet  no  organized  effort  for  the  promotion  of  the  movement. 

It  is  our  conviction  that  with  Europe  really  evangelized, 
the  world  at  large  w^ill  soon  be  evangelized  and  brought 
under  the  sway  of  Christ.  Our  hope  is  in  the  children  and 
they  are  with  us. 

Let  us  all — representatives  of  man3^  nations  and  speaking 
different  tongues,  but  constrained  by  the  love  of  Christ, 
unite  our  forces  in  consecrated  effort  to  hasten  that  time 
when  the  children,  not  only  of  Europe  but  of  every  clime, 
shall  crowd  to  his  arms  and  be  blest. 


Mission  Work  in  North  Africa 

By  the  Rev.  Joseph  J.  Cooksey 

The  North  Africa  Mission  is  endeavoring  to  evangelize 
the  countries  of  North  Africa — from  Morocco  to  Egypt — 
five  countries  of  vast  extent,  a  coast  Hne  of  three  thousand 
miles  and  a  Moslem  population  of  over  twenty  millions. 
The  Mission  has  already  eighty-five  workers,  but  in  view 
of  the  vastness  of  the  country,  and  the  teeming  populations, 
they  are  a  mere  nothing,  and  only  serve  by  contrast  to  bring 
out  more  vividly  the  appalling  need. 

The  Mission  is  interdenominational,  and  evangelical,  and 
nearly  every  branch  of  the  Church  is  represented,  all  working 
harmoniously  along  broad  scriptural  fines,  holding  Christ 
as  Head  in  all  things;  it  is  not  supported  by  any  one  denomi- 
nation, but  looks  to  God  in  faith,  and  to  his  people  in  firm 

197 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

expectation  that  spiritual,  self-denying  work  will  commend 
itself  to  all  who  know  the  love  of  Christ. 

The  forms  of  work  are  varied,  and  the  Mission  is  alive  to 
seize  every  new  opening  for  fresh  enterprises;  men  and  means 
alone  hinder  the  development  of  one  of  the  finest  fields  of 
missionary  service  in  the  world.  We  approach  the  people 
by  means  of  medical  missions,  served  by  both  men  and 
women  doctors.  Vast  numbers  of  patients  pass  through 
their  skilled  hands  yearly.  The  preaching  of  the  Word  is 
the  end  served  by  this  work  and  this  is  supplemented  by  a 
large  amount  of  lay  dispensary  work,  especially  in  Morocco, 
and  Tripoli:  besides,  we  manage  a  well  equipped  hospital 
in  Tangier  (Morocco)  one  of  the  greatest  blessings  to  that 
dark  land. 

We  open  Bible  shops  in  which  the  Scriptures  are  sold  and 
given,  using  also  colportage  where  permitted.  We  hold 
growing'classes  for  youths,  women,  boys  and  girls,  and  of  the 
latter,  despite  every  conceivable  opposition,  we  have  in  our 
classes  over  1,500  under  Bible  instruction — no  mean  thing 
for  such  a  land  as  this,  where  every  child  has  morally  and 
spiritually  actually  to  be  fought  for.  Cannot  we  follow  this 
up,  by  sending  in  a  number  of  efficient  lady  workers,  and 
thus  lay  hands  upon  Islam  at  the  bud?  The  problem  of 
Islam  will  be  solved  when  we  start  to  do  something  ade- 
quate, and  cease  talking  of  its  great  difhculties. 

We  travel  among  the  people — most  of  whom  have  never 
heard  of  Christ,  and  to  whom  the  gospel  is  a  strange  story! 
We  preach  where  possible,  openly  in  our  bookshops  at 
evening  gatherings,  we  visit  cafes  and  shops,  and  personally 
tell  of  Christ  to  those  who  will  converse,  and  then  we  send 
our  ladies  to  the  Moslem  homes,  and  amid  their  prison-like 
seclusion  and  depraved  surroundings,  we  tell  them  of  the 
love  of  God  to  woman  in  Christ. 

We  have  an  organized  Spanish  work  in  Tangier,  and  the 
children  are  being  rapidly  gathered  in,  and  a  similar  work 
among  Italians  in  Tunis,  where   also  the  small  church  is 


x\ustria 

steadily  growing,  and  the  work  among  the  young  very 
promising.  In  Algeria,  our  work  among  the  French 
children,  though  vet  in  the  bud,  is  full  of  promise.  In  fine, 
the  Mission  is  doing  its  utmost  by  every  possible  agency 
to  grapple  with  the  awful  need,  and  the  gaining  of  converts 
from  every  section,  in  steadily  growing  numbers,  is  rewardmg 
them  for  their  patient  faith,  and  steady  work,  in  admittedly, 
one  of  the  very  hardest  mission  fields  of  the  whole  world. 

Christians  of  America  and  Britain!  Will  you  take  up 
this  burden  with  us?  Shall  this  land,  which  once  boasted 
thousands  of  Christian  churches,  and  could  gather  five 
hundred  and  eighty  Bishops  to  deliberate  upon  its  work, 
in  that  glorious  third  century,  shall  that  land  we  ask,  now 
blighted  and  ruined  by  Moslem  invasion,  be  left  Christless, 
or  shall  again,  as  of  old,  his  praises  sound  forth,  beginning 
with  the  children,  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Red  Sea. 

It  can  be  done.  God  has  given  freely  of  his  Spirit. 
When  we  give  as  freely  of  our  lives,  and  money,  as  supple- 
mentary instruments  in  his  hand,  it  will  be  done. 

Sunday  Schools  in  Austria 

By  Prof.  G.  J.  Haberl 

Among  the  twenty-seven  miUions  who  inhabit  the 
countries  of  the  Austrian  Crown,  there  are  only  500,000 
Protestants,  belonging  to  the  German,  the  Greek  and  the 
Polonian  nation.  They  congregate  in  two  hundred  and 
sixty  communities  and  one  hundred  and  fifty  affiliated 
churches.  No  more  than  one  hundred  and  one  Sunday- 
schools  with  5,151  children  and  two  hundred  and  seven 
lay-teachers  were  numbered  in  1903.  Newer  statistics 
are  not  made;  no  doubt  there  is  some  increase.  But  on  the 
whole,  Sunday-school  work  has  not  outgrown  its  first  poor 

beginnings. 

That  important  work  is  meeting  with  many  difficulties; 
most  of  the  pastors,  whose  parishes  embrace  many  miles 

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Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

of  land,  feel  unable  to  take  upon  themselves  a  new  task. 
But  actually  there  is  only  one  obstacle  everywhere,  opposing 
this  work:  Ignorance. 

Our  Christian  communities  do  not  know  that  they  do 
not  do  the  tenth  part  of  what  they  ought  to  do  for  their 
children,  and  that  they  thereby  charge  themselves  with 
an  immense  responsibiHty.  Poor  and  shallow  religious 
school  instruction,  rendered  difficult  moreover  by  the 
diaspora  situations,  and  a  catechumenical  instruction  just 
as  insufficient,  is  all  our  congregations  believe  to  be  due  to 
their  children.  The  natural  consequence  is  that  the  young 
people  are  without  sufficient  support  in  the  temptations  of 
the  world,  and  most  of  them  become  ahenated  from  the 
Lord  Jesus  and  his  Church.  There  are  exceptions,  of 
course,  especially  in  some  country  communities — God  be 
praised.  But  in  general,  the  religious  instruction  of  our 
children  is  at  its  worst.  There  should  be  an  indefatigable 
agitation  by  speaking  and  writing  for  Sunday-school  work 
in  all  the  Protestant  communities. 

Urged  by  the  Sunday-school  Committee  in  BerHn,  some 
friends  in  Vienna  organized,  in  1902,  an  Austrian  Sunday- 
school  Association.  In  connection  with  the  union  of  the 
Young  Men's  Christian  Associations  we  engaged,  in  1904, 
Pastor  Wangemann  as  agent  for  both  Sunday-school  and 
Young  Men's  Christian  Associations.  The  Sunday-school 
Union,  London,  and  the  "Verein  fur  Forderung  der  Sonn- 
tags-schulsache  in  Deutschland,"  BerHn,  granted  one- 
half  of  his  salary,  a  friend  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association  in  America  gave  the  other  half.  But  this  dear 
friend  did  not  renew  his  quota,  and  Pastor  Wangemann 
quitted  us  in  December,  1905.  Since  then  no  new  agent 
has  been  appointed.  We  could  not  find  the  man  for  this 
important  and  difficult  service.  Our  Association  could 
not  display  much  activity  in  the  last  year,  all  its  members 
being  engaged  in  special  work.  Still  the  work  should  be 
done  with  full  energy! 

200 


Belgium 

May  God  raise  up  a  man  willing  to  give  himself  especially 
and  entirely  for  Sunday-school  work  in  Austria!  We  do 
not  doubt  that  our  brethren  in  England  a^nd  America  would 
gladly  provide  for  his  support.  May  the  dear  brethren 
assembled  at  Rome  take  our  land  and  its  wants  into  their 
hearts  and  into  their  prayers! 


Belgium 

By  the  Rev.  H.  Anet 

The  keynote  of  Sunday-school  work  in  Belgium  is  the 
missionary  spirit:  the  Sunday-schools  are  one  of  our  best 
agencies  for  the  evangelization  of. our  clerical  and  free- 
thinking  countrymen.  We  have  to  fight  against  two  diver- 
gent forces;  on  the  one  side,  the  indifference  of  unbelief; 
on  the  other  side,  superstition,  intolerance  and  ignorance. 
The  preaching  of  the  gospel  is  especially  needed,  but  also 
specially  difficult.  Though  enjoying  one  of  the  most  liberal 
constitutions  of  the  world,  the  Belgian  people  do  not  know 
what  freedom  is;  they  are  burdened  by  the  double  despot- 
ism of  the  priest  and  of  the  atheist  labor  leader.  Many 
are  seeking  after  righteousness  and  truth,  but  few  dare  to 
come  into  the  evangelical  meeting  halls. 

Practically  all  the  children  of  the  Protestant  families, 
between  three  or  four  and  fifteen  years  of  age,  are  enrolled 
in  the  church  Sunday-schools,  and  many  in  the  Thursday 
schools,  held  on  the  holiday  afternoon  of  the  pubhc  schools. 
But  our  aim  is  to  reach  the  child  in  the  street,  the  child  of  the 
industrial  slum.s,  and  by  him  his  family.  That  is  the  reason 
for  the  missionary  Sunday-schools  or  kitchen  Sunday-schools. 
Three  things  are  necessary:   a  room,  teachers,  and  children. 

The  room  is  lent  by  members  of  the  church,  plain  w^orking 
people  whose  only  room  downstairs  is  kitchen,  dining-room, 
and  parlor,  mostly  kitchen.  As  a  rule,  they  won't  accept  one 
cent  for  light,  fire  or  trouble,  which  they  are  giving  freely, 
nor  for  mud  nor  dust  which  they  receive  with  equal  generosity. 

20 1 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

x'\mong  many  others,  I  know  two  poor  widows  with  large 
families  who  were  glad  to  say  like  Lydia:  "If  ye  have 
judged  me  to  be  faithful  to  the  Lord,  come  into  my  house 
and  abide  there."  A  few  rough  benches  or  simply  some 
boards  put  on  chairs  is  all  that  is  needed;  this  system  pre- 
vents sleeping,  but  is  sometimes  dangerous — the  chair  may 
be  moved,  the  board  fall,  and  a  dozen  of  thickly  seated  boys 
and  girls  slip  to  the  ground.  If  this  is  the  only  noise  and 
trouble  during  the  lesson,  the  teacher  ought  to  be  quite 
satisfied.  In  one  place,  young  rascals,  set  on  by  the  priest, 
came  and  broke  the  windows  with  stones. 

The  teachers  are  mostly  members  of  the  Young  Men's 
Christian  Associations  and  Young  Women's  Christian 
Associations,  in  connection  with  nearly  all  Belgian  con- 
gregations. They  are  clerks,  shopkeepers  or  oftener  working 
people — coal-miners,  ironworkers,  factory-girls.  They  have 
not  always  much  education,  but  they  are  good  singers,  and 
singing  is  the  great  feature  of  the  missionary  school.  Having 
no  holiday  on  Saturday  afternoon,  they  devote  their  only 
free  time  on  Sunday  afternoon  or  evening  to  teaching  the 
gospel  to  a  mob  of  restless  little  ones.  Some  teachers  have 
to  walk  two,  three,  or  four  miles  and  back.  Many  of  the 
so-called  Sunday-schools  are  held  on  week-days  at  six  or 
seven  o'clock  P.  M.,  the  children  having  finished  their  day 
school  or  their  work,  for  many  are  employed  in  the  mines  and 
factories  at  the  age  of  twelve  years.  One  young  man  leaves 
his  work  at  6  o'clock  instead  of  8  o'clock  every  Tuesday  in 
order  to  teach  in  a  missionary  school,  thus  losing  a  part  of 
his  salary. 

The  children  are  generally  eager  to  come;  they  invite  each 
other.  The  great  attraction  for  them  is  the  singing;  they 
are  very  good  at  music.  They  like  also  picture-rolls  and  the 
leaflets  which  are  given  to  them,  taken  home  and  read  by 
the  parents.  Many  families  have  been  converted  by  the 
children. 

But  persecutions  are  often  at  hand.     The  Roman  Catholic 
202 


Bekium 


'& 


clergy  is  hindering  our  work  as  much  as  possible.  A  Httle 
girl  attending  the  nuns'  primary  school  was  punished  because 
she  had  been  seen  at  the  Protestant  school:  during  playtime 
she  had  to  kneel  in  a  corner  with  arms  up  and  stones  on  the 
hands;  but  she  came  again.  A  small  boy  was  repeatedly 
whipped  by  his  father,  an  unbeliever;  but  he  also  came 
again. 

Many  missionary  schools  have  been  closed  because  the 
priest  had  made  house-to-house  visitation  telling  the  parents 
that  they  would  lose  their  employment  (not  empty  threats 
in  many  places),  that  their  children  should  not  be  received 
at  the  first  communion,  a  public  shame  even  for  nominal 
Catholics  who  never  attend  the  Mass. 

In  spite  of  all  the  difficulties  the  number  of  missionary 
schools  is  increasing  every  year;  in  1906,  fifteen  new  schools 
were  established — the  Christian  Missionary  Church  of 
Belgium  has  one  hundred  and  four  Sunday-schools  and 
Missionary  schools  with  4,100  scholars,  of  whom  1,775  ^^^ 
from  Catholic  families.  The  two  hundred  and  ninety-six 
teachers  are  organized  as  a  National  Federation.  In  com- 
parison with  the  statistics  of  1880,  we  find  an  increase  of 
46  per  cent  in  the  number  of  schools,  69  per  cent  in  the 
number  of  scholars,  and  91  per  cent  in  the  number  of 
teachers. 

The  Established  Church,  Union  des  Eglises  evangeliques 
ptotestantes  de  Belgique  has  twenty-eight  Sunday-schools 
with  2,500  scholars.  For  this  church,  Sunday-schools  are 
mere  individual  enterprises  of  the  pastors  or  the  local  con- 
gregations; the  teachers  have  no  federation.  Of  these 
twenty-eight  schools,  four  are  German-speaking,  ten 
Flemish-speaking,  and  one  is  conducted  in  English  and 
Flemish. 

Our  experience  in  the  evangelization  of  Belgium  is,  that 
the  Kingdom  of  God  is  for  little  children,  and  that  the 
coming  of  this  Kingdom  is  greatly  helped  by  the  work  and 
faithfulness  of  the  little  ones. 

203 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 
Bohemia 

By  the  Rev.  Dr.  A.  W.  Clark 

This  Sunday-school  Congress  has  a  deeper  meaning  for 
me  than  for,  perchance,  any  other  person  present.  Since 
1872, 1  have  not  had  the  privilege  of  attending  any  Sunday- 
school  Convention  using  the  English  language.  Very 
grateful  I  am  to  President  Warren  for  inviting  me  to  Rome. 
In  1872,  I  was  pastor  in  Connecticut,  U.  S.  A.,  and  went 
as  delegate  to  the  "International"  Sunday-school  Con- 
ference in  Indianapolis,  Indiana.  The  same  year  I  was 
invited  by  the  American  Board  to  give  up  my  pastorate  and 
to  join  a  new  mission  in  Bohemia.  My  present  associate, 
the  Reverend  J.  S.  Porter,  who  was  one  of  my  small  Sunday- 
school  scholars  in  1872  in  Connecticut  will  speak  to  you 
here  on  Thursday  about  Austria,  so  I  will  not  give  statistics 
or  steal  any  of  his  thunder. 

Permit  me  to  state  a  few  incidents  as  they  may  come  to 
my  mind  while  speaking  to  you.  Our  German  brethren 
here  have  referred  to  a  certain  prejudice  against  any 
''Foreign  plant."  It  was  the  same  in  Bohemia.  At 
a  little  conference  some  of  this  opposition  was  overcome  by 
a  choice  Bohemian  pastor  who  was  in  full  sympathy  with 
Sunday-school  work.  ''Brethren,"  he  said,  "this  oppo- 
sition to  anything  foreign  is  very  unwise.  How  about 
potatoes?  A  few  years  ago  they  were  foreign  here,  but 
Bohemia  adopted  them,  and  you  know  how  we  enjoy 
them."  A  smile  was  seen  on  many  a  face  for  it  was  well 
known  that  this  pastor  always  ordered  at  a  restaurant  two 
portions  of  potatoes.  "Then,  brethren,  are  you  ready  to 
give  up  your  coffee,  because  it  was  once  foreign  ?  No,  no, 
not  one  of  us  could  do  that.  Now  then,  give  the  Sunday- 
school  a  hearty  welcome,  and  it  will  soon  be  as  much  at 
home  here  as  in  England  or  America."  At  present  there 
are  in  churches  of  different  denominations,  fifty  Bohemian 
Sunday-schools  with  one  hundred  teachers  and  five  thousand 

204 


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Bohemia 

pupils.  Our  free  churches  (Congregational),  the  first  of 
which  was  organized  in  1880  in  my  house,  are  all  interested 
in  Sunday-school  work.  There  are  over  twenty  such 
Congregational  Churches  in  Bohemia,  Moravia  and  Vienna. 
We  have  also  two  such  churches  in  Russia  among  Bohemians 
living  there. 

The  first  work  done  at  our  first  out-station  in  Southern 
Bohemia  seemed  small  and  very  discouraging.  Only  two 
children  were  reached  in  a  house  or  family  Sunday-school. 
But  children  may  in  time  become  stalwart.  Christians. 
Where  shall  we  look  to-day  for  that  boy  and  girl?  The 
brother  has  been  for  some  years  a  successful  pastor  in 
America  and  is  now  in  Chicago ;  the  sister  is  one  of  the  best 
Bible  Readers  in  Cleveland,  Ohio.  By  the  way,  this  is  not 
the  only  preacher  our  mission  at  Prague,  Bohemia,  has 
given  to  America.  You  can  find  our  young  men  serving 
God  among  Slavs  in  Texas,  Kansas,  Nebraska,  Minnesota, 
Illinois,  Ohio,  Pennsylvania,  Iowa,  Dakota  and  Wisconsin. 
Two  of  our  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  fellows  are 
working  for  Slavs  in  Canada. 

Let  me  now  call  attention  to  a  Home  Department  incident 
that  would  do  Dr.  Duncan  much  good  to  hear.  Some  years 
ago,  a  Bible  Colporteur  succeeded  in  selling  a  Bible  to  a 
Bohemian  weaver.  It  was  the  only  Bible  in  the  village. 
The  weaver  little  knew  what  he  was  doing  when  he  bought 
it,  but  he  was  anxious  for  light  for  himself  and  family  of 
eight  children.  When  weary  at  his  house-loom  he  would 
take  up  that  Bible  and  read  a  chapter.  At  the  simple  meal 
the  truth  of  that  chapter  was  considered.  With  no  teacher, 
this  one  Bible  began  to  open  the  eyes  of  those  to  whom 
God's  Word  was  a  new  book.  Two  years  ago  I  saw  that 
original  Bible,  now  in  the  city  of  Cleveland,  Ohio.  Well- 
thumbed  and  coverless,  that  one  book  has  been  greatly 
owned  of  God.  The  parents  died  in  full  trust  in  Christ. 
Where  are  those  eight  children?  The  oldest  is  a  pastor  in 
Ohio,  the  second  is  a  pastor  in  Minnesota,  a  third  is  a  pro- 

205 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

fessor  in  a  Christian  institution,  another  is  in  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association  work,  the  daughters  are  Bible  Readers, 
the  whole  family  in  the  service  of  our  Saviour. 

The  sight  of  that  Bible  turned  me  back  to  Bohemia,  led 
me  to  decline  a  most  tempting  and  united  plea  to  become 
superintendent  of  Slavic  missions  in  America.  If  one  Bible 
can  do  so  much  let  me  go  back  to  Bohemia  and  spend  my 
days  in  circulating  and  explaining  the  Scriptures.  Pray 
for  my  thirty  colporteurs  (National  Bible  Society  of  Scot- 
land) and  for  the  new  ones  we  are  placing  in  Russia. 

I  see  before  me  the  old  flag  beneath  which  some  of  us 
marched  many  a  weary  mile  in  the  Civil  War  in  America. 
When,  at  Gettysburg  (1863),  one  of  our  batteries  had  been 
captured  by  brave  Southern  men,  one  of  our  generals  said 
to  a  Vermont  colonel,  "  Can  you  not  bring  back  those  guns  ?  " 
Looking  at  the  great  danger  and  calling  for  volunteers,  he 
said:  ''I  will  bring  back  the  guns  or  die  in  the  attempt." 
Brethren,  have  no  Sunday-school  pupils  been  captured  by 
the  enemy?  Can  we  not  bring  them  back?  Let  us  say 
as  did  that  Vermont  officer:  ''I  will,  or  die  in  the  attempt." 


Bohemia  and  Moravia 

By  the  Rev.  J.  S.  Pokter 

Perhaps  in  no  country  under  the  sun  is  Sunday-school 
work  more  hedged  about  with  all  sorts  of  obstacles  than  in 
Austria.  To  begin  with,  ninety-eight  per  cent  of  the 
population  is  nominally  in  connection  with  the  Romish 
church,  which,  of  course,  not  only  is  averse  to  any  Sunday- 
school  effort,  but  also  watches  very  carefully  any  and  every 
attempt  to  lead  the  young  into  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus,  and 
thwarts  it  if  possible.  For  example,  no  child  between  the 
ages  of  seven  and  fourteen  may  change  its  religion.  Parents 
converted  to-day  must  continue  to  send  their  children 
between  the  above-mentioned  ages  to  the  Romish  church 
and  to  the  required  religious  instruction  in  the  public  schools. 

206 


Bohemia  and  Moravia 

And  more  than  this,  they  may  not  take  such  children  with 
them  to  the  church  of  their  adoption,  nor  send  them  to 
Sunday-school.  Our  Sunday-school  work  is,  therefore, 
legally  limited  to  children  born  in  our  churches.  The 
authorities  are  trying  to  go  farther  and  forbid  parents  to 
take  over  to  their  "new  faith"  children  under  seven  years 
of  age.  This  is,  however,  illegal,  and  we  are  waging  warfare 
against  this  open  violation  of  the  spirit  of  the  law. 

Another  difficulty!  All  children  must  have  religious 
instruction  in  the  public  schools.  It  is  a  part  of  their 
education.  Religion  is,  however,  so  disguised  and  maltreated 
that  our  youth  come  from  the  schools  generally  openly  and 
avowedly  atheistic  or  with  a  distaste  for  everything  that 
wears  the  name  of  religion.  Protestant  pastors  must  also 
give  religious  instruction  to  children  of  their  persuasion. 
They  must  go  hither  and  yon  in  their  large  parishes  that 
often  include  whole  counties,  and  are  really  worked  hard  in 
giving  this  instruction;  so  that  quite  naturally,  many  feel 
that  they  cannot  give  any  extra  time  and  strength  to  the 
young.  Some  pastors  have  from  twelve  to  sixteen  hours 
weekly  of  religious  school  instruction,  involving  many  more 
hours  of  travel. 

Sunday-schools  and  Sunday-school  instruction  have  there- 
fore in  the  eyes  of  young  and  old  the  semblance  of  required 
school  duty.  Wlien  we  tried  to  introduce  questions  and 
answers  into  some  of  our  social  meetings  our  auditors  felt 
as  if  we  were  again  putting  them  into  pinafores  and  seat- 
ing them  on  school  benches. 

These  and  other  obstacles  stand  over  against  the  would-be 
Sunday-school  worker.  Do  you  wonder  that  we  say  with 
Paul,  "who  is  sufficient  for  these  things"  ? 

Bohemia  and  Moravia  have  in  round  numbers  a  popula- 
tion of  9,000,000,  of  which  225,000  are  Protestants.  Or, 
in  other  words,  only  one-fourth  of  one  per  cent  of  the 
population  walks  under  the  banner  of  the  cup  which  is  the 
symbol  of  Protestantism  in  these  countries  from  the  days  of 

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Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

the  Hussites.  Only  one  out  of  every  four  hundred  of  the 
people  we  meet  wears  even  the  nominal  name  of  Protestant. 
This  whole  mass  must  be  leavened:  ''The  old,  old  story" 
must  be  told  simply  (oh,  how  simply!)  until  it  Hves  in  and 
dominates  the  lives  of  those  "who  err,  not  knowing  the 
Scriptures  nor  the  power  of  God." 

The  coming  of  American  missionaries  to  Bohemia  and 
Moravia  thirty-five  years  ago  meant  the  planting  of  the 
Sunday-school  idea  in  Bohemian  soil.  Slow  indeed  has 
been  the  growth  of  this  foreign  plant,  but  growth  there  has 
been  and  is.  Dr.  W.  A.  Duncan,  of  the  Congregational 
Sunday-school  and  PubHshing  Society,  visited  us  nearly 
fifteen  years  ago  and  helped  on  the  work  not  a  little.  From 
his  visit  dates  the  beginning  of  our  publication  of  ''Pom- 
ucka"  which  includes  not  only  an  exposition  of  the  Sunday- 
school  lessons,  but  a  few  words  of  exposition  of  the  Daily 
Readings.  Our  "Pomucka"  is  used  in  many  a  Bohemian 
home,  not  alone  in  the  land  of  John  Huss  and  Comenius 
but  also  in  Russia,  Hungary,  Bulgaria  and  America.  Our 
Home  Department  outnumbers  by  far  those  who  gather 
to  study  the  lessons.  In  upwards  of  three  thousand  homes 
is  the  family  altar  the  center  of  a  Httle  Sunday-school  whose 
influence  is  doing  much  to  ''leaven  the  whole  lump."  The 
passage  of  Scripture  studied  in  the  weekly  church  "Bible 
Hour"  is  in  many  cases  the  Sunday-school  lesson.  In 
addition  to  this  a  set  of  twenty-five  questions  is  prepared 
every  week  and  hectograph  copies  are  sent  to  thirty  circles 
of  believers,  many  of  them  far  removed  from  church 
privileges.  These  "questions"  are  founded  on  the  Sunday- 
school  lessons  and  help  to  growth  in  Bible  knowledge  as 
well  as  to  the  spread  of  Sunday-schools.  And  just  now  the 
London  Sunday  School  Union  is  helping  to  put  into  the 
field  a  Sunday-school  missionary  who  will  give  a  part  of  his 
time  to  the  planting  and  promotion  of  Sunday-schools. 

How  can  Sunday-schools  of  other  countries  help  the 
Sunday-schools  of  Bohemia? 

208 


Bulgaria 


^c> 


I.  By  helping  to  put  into  the  hands  of  all  the  nitive 
Sunday-school  workers  who  read  English  some  of  our  best 
lesson  helps.  2.  By  helping  to  publish  in  the  Bohemian 
language,  Trumbull's  "Teaching  and  Teachers";  we  must 
train  up  teachers.  3.  By  helping  to  defray  in  part  the 
expenses  of  a  yearly  Sunday-school  Institute  which  should 
serve  to  spread  interest  in  Sunday-school  work  as  well  as 
to  equip  workers  for  better  service.  4.  By  sending  some 
experienced  Sunday-school  w^orker  to  spend  six  weeks  at 
least,  in  Bohemia  and  Moravia,  helping  in  the  proposed 
Sunday-school  Institute  as  well  as  in  a  general  promotion 
of  the  interests  of  Sunday-schools. 


Bulgaria 

By  the  Rev.  Theodore  T.  Holway,  M.  A. 

I  am  heartily  glad  that  in  this  Sunday-school  Convention 
of  the  nations  Bulgaria  has  her  place. 

I.  A  word  as  to  her  history.  In  the  days  of  Alfred  the 
Great  she  was  already  a  powerful  nation,  and  her  "Czar" 
ruled  from  the  Black  Sea  to  the  Adriatic,  from  the  ^gean 
to  the  Danube.  A  little  earher,  just  after  the  days  of 
Charlemagne,  the  two  great  missionaries  to  the  Slavic  races, 
Cyril  and  Methodius,  had  gone  up  and  down  the  Balkan 
Peninsula,  proclaiming  the  gospel  to  the  Slavic  peoples, 
and  winning  them  to  Christianity.  In  864  A.  D.,  Boris  I., 
styhng  himself  "Czar  of  Bulgaria  and  Autocrat  of  the 
Greeks"  accepted  Christianity  and  made  it  the  State 
religion.  Tw^o  years  later  he  sent  a  special  ambassador  to 
Rome  with  one  hundred  and  six  questions  on  various 
points  of  Christian  faith  and  polity.  For  a  time  Boris 
wavered  between  Pope  and  Patriarch,  between  Rome  and 
Constantinople,  but  finally  became  joined  to  the  Eastern 
Church.  Cyril  and  Methodius  it  was  who  introduced  into 
Bulgaria  the  numerous  saint's-days  which  have  robbed  the 

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Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

people  so  long  of  a  third  of  their  time.  These  days,  however, 
are  but  the  gravestones  of  ancient  Bible  schools. 

Later,  Bulgaria  came  under  Greek  influence.  A  Greek 
Patriarch  was  appointed.  The  Greek  liturgy  took  \he  place 
of  the  native  language,  and  after  a  time  the  Bulgarians 
became  ignorant  and  indifferent  in  religious  matters. 
Nevertheless,  the  early  training  must  have  been  of  great 
power  in  their  lives  since  it  enabled  them  to  remain  Christian, 
and  relatively  pure  during  the  five  centuries  of  political 
bondage  to  Turkey  and  ecclesiastical  bondage  to  Greece. 
They  passed  under  the  Turkish  yoke  nearly  one  hundred 
years  before  Columbus  discovered  America  (1398). 

In  1878  Modern  Bulgaria  was  born,  a  country  about  the 
size  of  Indiana,  or  of  Scotland  and  Wales  together.  It  has 
now  a  population  of  about  5,000,000,  in  addition  to  about 
1,250,000  Bulgarians  in  Macedonia  where  we  have  a  very 
encouraging  work.  Bulgaria  is  alert  and  has  made  very 
remarkable  progress  during  the  twenty-nine  years  since  her 
liberation.  In  social  conditions,  in  education,  in  morality, 
this  youngest  of  the  Balkan  States  stands  preeminent  among 
them  all. 

The  reason  of  this  is  that  the  Bible,  in  the  vernacular, 
was  widely  circulated  w^ithin  its  borders  before  the  country 
was  free,  and  many  of  its  early  leaders,  after  its  liberation, 
were  trained  in  bibhcal  ideals  at  Robert  College  in  Con- 
stantinople— an  institution  founded  by  that  versatile  and 
consecrated  American  missionary,  Cyrus  Hamlin.  Rouma- 
nia,  even  to-day,  has  no  colporteurs  except  among  the  Jews, 
practically  no  Sunday-schools  and  no  Bibles.  Servia  is 
entirely  without  all  three.  Greece  knows  little  of  the  Bible, 
since  to-day  it  cannot  be  published  save  in  the  ancient 
Greek.  Is  it  not  significant  that  one  Balkan  State  in  which 
the  Bible  has  had  free  circulation  is  fast  becoming  the 
leading  State  in  that  Peninsula? 

2.  Religious  Condition.  The  Bulgarian  Church,  like 
every  other  branch  of  the  Eastern  Church,  "has  the  form 

210 


<u      — 


Bulgaria 

of  godliness,  but  not  the  power  thereof. "  With  few  excep- 
tions, the  ancient  Slavic  liturgy  alone  is  read  in  the  services. 
There  is  no  preaching,  no  Bible-study,  but  very  little 
knowledge  of  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  No  work  is  done 
for  the  children,  and  it  is  not  considered  proper  for  unmarried 
young  women  to  attend  the  church  services  at  all.  Simple 
Bible  stories,  under  the  title  "The  Law  of  God,"  are  taught 
regularly  in  the  public  schools.  But  this  amounts  to  little. 
Often  the  text-books  are  poor.  Worse  still,  many  of  the 
teachers  are  rank  infidels  or  atheists.  Indeed,  I  was 
recently  told  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Holy  Synod  (the  highest 
ecclesiastical  authority),  that  in  his  opinion  such  teaching 
was  much  w^orse  than  none  at  all.  He  also  said  that  though 
very  desirable  to  introduce  Sunday-schools  into  the  National 
Church  it  was  not  yet  feasible. 

One  reason  for  this  is  the  prejudice  against  Protestant 
institutions.  ReHgion  is  regarded  as  poKtical.  When 
a  member  of  the  Bulgarian  Church  joins  the  Greek  Church 
or  vice  versa,  he  is  regarded  as  changing  his  nationality. 
National  rivalry  is  intense;  therefore,  feeling  runs  high. 
"Protestant"  has  meant  to  many  not  only  pervert  from  the 
faith,  but  also  traitor  to  the  Fatherland.  In  Macedonia 
many  believe  that  to  become  a  Protestant  is  to  become  an 
American  citizen. 

Another  reason  is  that  the  need  for  Sunday-schools  is  not 
yet  sufficiently  felt.  In  several  instances,  they  have  been 
opened  in  Orthodox  churches,  but  in  every  case  they  have 
either  been  given  up  for  lack  of  interest  or  have  soon  dete- 
riorated into  ordinary  night  schools  for  the  teaching  of 
arithmetic,  geography,   etc. 

Here  and  there  the  priests  do  feel  the  force  of  the  swift 
downward  current.  They  note  the  Church  daily  losing  its 
grip  on  the  nation.  They  see  the  youth  becoming  indif- 
ferent, immoral,  lax  in  all  lines,  atheistic.  They  some- 
times even  ask  our  Protestant  workers:  "What  can  we  do 
to  save   our   nation  ? "     To  which  question  they  find    no 

211 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

answer,  since  they  are  not  yet  ready  to  accept  the  solution 
which  the  Sunday-school  affords. 

But  the  main  obstacle  in  the  way  of  estabhshing  Sunday- 
schools  in  the  Eastern  Church  is  the  lack  of  teachers.  The 
clergy  are  almost  universally  incompetent  through  ignorance 
of  the  Bible;  the  public  school  teachers  through  unbelief 
in  the  Bible;  and  laymen  and  women  are  incompetent 
through  indifference  to  the  Bible.  The  Secretary  of  the 
Holy  Synod  admitted  these  facts  to  me,  and  said:  "If  you 
have  suitable  men  push  this  work  as  hard  as  you  can." 

In  Roumania,  the  Rev.  J.  H.  Adeney  reports  three  or 
four  Sunday-schools  carried  on  in  Bucharest  by  a  Rou- 
manian society  of  ladies  called  "Tibisoi;"  by  foreigners, 
for  Roumanians,  one  small  school  conducted  by  Mr.  Ber- 
ney,  a  Swiss;  by  foreigners  for  Jews,  two  schools  under 
Mr.  Adeney's  general  direction,  and  a  Norwegian  mission 
in  Galatz,  and  a  Swedish  mission  in  Jassy.  M.  Adeney 
reports  that  the  Roumanian  church  does  nothing  for  the 
children  outside  of  the  day-school  religious  instruction,  and 
that  there  is  an  immense  need  of  evangelical  work  among 
the  Roumanians. 

3.  The  Outlook.  But  the  horizon  is  not  without  light. 
Many  hopeful  signs  are  visible.  Opposition  to  our  work  is 
everywhere  breaking  down.  People  who  were  formerly 
antagonistic  are  now  friendly,  and  we  believe  that  large 
numbers  are  convinced  in  their  hearts  of  the  truth  which 
they  dare  not  confess  with  their  lips.  In  the  Orthodox 
Church  a  few  leaders  and  one  religious  journal  do  realize 
the  need  of  a  general  spiritual  awakening,  and  are  working 
toward  that  end.  Recently  they  have  organized  various 
"Preaching  Brotherhoods,"  and  some  priests  are  beginning 
to  read  the  Bible  and  to  preach  in  the  language  of  the  people. 
A  new  translation  of  the  Scriptures  into  modern  Bulgarian 
is  being  prepared  by  the  Holy  Synod,  and  last  Easter,  for  the 
first  time,  the  "Twelve  Gospels"  were  read  in  every  church 
in  the  country  in  the  Bulgarian  language.     A  fresh  interest 

212 


Bulgaria 

in  Bible  study  is  springing  up.  One  Orthodox  woman 
who  buys  Bibles  from  the  wTiter  for  other  women  says  that 
their  study  of  them  at  home  and  in  their  woman's  meeting 
is  a  "wonderful  cure  for  their  many  sorrows."  One  book- 
store in  the  town  of  Stara  Zagora  within  six  months  has  sold 
three  hundred  and  fifty  copies  each  of  Bibles,  New  Testa- 
ments and  of  Gospels  and  Psalms  in  Bulgarian  alone, 
in  addition  to  one  hundred  Testaments  in  four  other  lan- 
guages. 

4.  Our  work.  The  only  Sunday-schools  in  Bulgaria 
are  those  connected  with  Protestant  missions.  Many  of 
these  are  attended  by  numbers  of  Orthodox  children,  some 
almost  exclusively  so.  In  some  places  our  schools  are  more 
prosperous  than  any  other  phase  of  the  work.  For  several 
years,  in  the  Philippopolis  field  we  have  opened  one  new 
Sunday-school  each  year,  while  most  of  those  already 
existing  have  increased  in  number. 

Many  children  have  joined  the  "Bible  Lovers"  auxiliary 
of  the  American  Bible  Society,  of  which  at  least  one  hundred 
and  thirty  are  contributing  members.  For  more  than 
sixteen  years  the  Primary  Department  of  the  Phihppopohs 
church  has  contributed  annually  two  dollars  and  twenty 
cents  to  the  support  of  "The  Morning  Star."  Several 
classes  in  our  Samokove  school  are  giving  tithes,  with  the 
hope  that  the  Sunday-schools  in  Bulgaria  will  soon  be  able 
to  send  an  evangelist  into  Servia  where  4,000,000  Slavs  are 
entirely  without  gospel  teaching.  Other  schools  have  sent 
contributions  to  foreign  mission  fields.  A  number  of  our 
pastors  and  teachers  use  The  Sunday  School  Times  and 
Peloubet's  Notes  both  of  which  they  feel  to  be  invaluable. 

The  following  incident  shows  that  w^e  should  not  despise 
the  day  of  small  things.  An  earnest  Bulgarian  Protestant 
opened  a  little  Sunday-school  in  a  village  near  Philippopolis. 
The  children  at  first  came  gladly  but  were  soon  forbidden 
by  the  priest  to  attend.  She  continued  to  teach  the  lesson 
to  a  few  soldiers  who  dropped  in,  but  felt  greatly  discouraged. 

213 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

Recently,  however,  she  was  greatly  cheered  by  the  receipt  of 
a  letter  of  which  the  following  is  a  close  translation: 

We  salute  you,  Mrs.  Gradenaroff.  We  wish,  God  will- 
ing, to  become  acquainted  with  you.  We  learned  of  you 
from  a  boy  who  was  in  military  service  in  Philippopolis, 
and  who  had  been  to  your  teaching  [Sunday-school].  He 
has  told  us  of  the  very  beautiful  teachings  and  discourses 
you  have  preached,  and  we  desire  them.  We  consulted 
together — about  thirty  young  men — even  more,  but  we  will 
not  praise  ourselves,  nor  do  we  lie  to  you,  and  all,  with  one 
heart,  decided  to  buy  each  a  Bible  and  a  New  Testament. 
I  took  the  responsibility  to  say  that  with  God's  help  I 
would  try  to  get  them,  and  wrote  to  B — 's  bookstore  in 
Sofia,  but  he  paid  no  attention,  and  as  we  could  not  find  out 
from  him  where  to  buy  them,  we  were  very  sorrowful  and 
thoughtful.  At  this  time  the  above-named  boy  told  us  to 
beg  you,  and  we  hope  you  will  pity  us,  and  help  us  and  with 
God's  help,  deliver  us  from  despair,  and  we  be  saved  from 
destruction.  We  all  pray  you,  have  the  goodness  to  become 
the  means  of  saving  us,  and  send  us  twenty  Bibles,  medium 
size.  There  are  twenty  more  boys,  but  they  are  poor  and 
cannot  buy  for  themselves.  Have  the  goodness  to  help 
them,  we  earnestly  pray  you.  As  we  are  unacquainted 
with  you,' forgive  us  this  step  we  have  taken  in  writing  to 
you,  and  since  we  are  unknown,  send  the  books  C.  O.  D. 
and  we  will  get  them.  Take  this  trouble  and  God  will 
reward  you  for  it  and  deliver  us  from  this  sorrow  about 
the  Bibles.  If  you  do  not  fulfil  our  request,  at  least  send 
us  a  letter  and  the  price  of  the  Bibles  and  Testaments  and 
other  godly  books.    Do  not  forget  us,  or  God  will  forget  you. 

And  about  the  Bibles  for  the  poor.  If  they  cannot  be 
had  at  a  reduction,  we  will  gather  a  present  and  so  help  a 
little,  and  you  do  the  same,  and  so  you  will  send  a  package 
of  twenty  Bibles  to  the  poor  for  Jesus'  sake.  For  the  other 
twenty  we  have  gathered  the  money.  Do  not  laugh  at 
our  letter.     We  are  simple  peasants. 

214 


Bulgaria 

Our  colporteur  found  these  young  men  very  much  In 
earnest,  and  another  order  has  come  for  tracts  and  Testa- 
ments and  for  two  hundred  Sunday-school  cards  for  the 
children,  who  say:  ''Tell  Mrs.  G-  that  we  too  want  to  be 
saved."  Two  officials  of  this  village  are  among  those 
interested  in  reading  the  Bible. 

5.  Our  need.  We  need  the  price  of  Picture  Rolls  and 
Picture  cards  of  which  we  use  large  numbers  each  year. 
We  greatly  need  money  to  pay  for  the  translation  of  good 
juvenile  books  into  Bulgarian.  We  have  very  few  books 
in  our  Sunday-school  libraries  and  the  boys  and  girls  are  m 
grave  danger  of  being  corrupted  by  abundant  translations 
from  the  French  and  other  languages. 

Most  of  all  do  we  need  the  funds  for  preparing  and 
pubHshing  a  "Children's  Hymn  Book,"  by  means  of  which 
the  gospel  may  be  sung  by  the  chilren  into  the  homes  and 
hearts  of  the  people.  We  have  about  one  hundred  hymns 
already  translated,  but  the  music  must  be  found  and  plates 
secured.  Two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  would  make  this 
possible.  Will  not  the  Sunday-schools  of  America  and 
England  help  us  to  supply  these  needs,  that  we  may  the 
more  readily  win  the  children  of  Bulgaria  to  Christ,  who 
said:  "Suffer  the  httle  children  to  come  unto  me— for  of 
such  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven." 

The  Bible  Among  the  Bulgarians 

By  the  Rev.  John  G.  Setchanoff 

Even  to-day  the  world  is  fearing  revolution  in  South- 
eastern Europe.  The  Christian  races  who  have  been 
groaning  under  oppression  and  misrule  are  awakening  to 
life,  and  in  their  aspirations  for  liberty  and  progress  they 
have  to  meet  the  opposition  of  the  decaying  power  of  Turkey, 
backed  up  by  the  greed  and  egoism  of  Europe.  Prominent 
among  the  Christian  nationaUties  in  the  Balkan  Peninsula, 
is  the  Bulgarian  people,  forming  the  majority  of  the  pop- 

215 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

ulation  in  the  Principality  of  Bulgaria  proper  and  its 
neighboring  province,  Macedonia.  In  view  of  the 
remarkable  progress  this  country  has  made  since  its  political 
liberation,  some  have  called  Bulgaria  "the  Japan  of  the 
New  East."  Its  past  history  and  its  present  growth  are  in 
many  ways  interesting. 

The  conversion  of  the  Bulgarians  to  Christianity  in  the 
ninth  century  of  our  era,  which  was  soon  followed  by  the 
translation  of  the  Bible,  forms  a  golden  period  of  great 
rehgious  activity  and  missionary  effort.  It  was  not  only 
a  time  for  spiritual  growth  and  deepening  but  also  for  the 
propagation  of  the  gospel  among  the  neighboring  nations, 
still  lying  in  idolatry.  Thus,  Christianized  ten  centuries  ago, 
Bulgaria  was  enabled  to  send  the  Bible  and  several  among 
its  best  missionaries  to  Servia,  Moravia,  Roumania  and 
Russia. 

But  this  brilliant  epoch  of  progress  and  fruitfulness  did 
not  last  long.  The  bloody  and  incessant  wars  with  Byzan- 
tium prepared  the  way  for  the  coming  of  the  Turks  to 
Europe.  Bulgaria  and  the  other  states  of  Southeastern 
Europe  fell,  each  in  its  turn,  under  the  victorious  sultans. 
With  their  coming  the  Turks  brought  a  perfect  devastation 
over  our  country;  the  noble  and  intelligent  were  either  killed 
or  forced  to  become  Muhammadans,  the  books  and  pubHc 
libraries  were  burnt,  the  churches  and  monasteries  ruined. 
A  perfect  gloom  which  lasted  for  five  long  centuries  fell  over 
the  people  and  country. 

But  when,  in  the  unsearchable  plans  of  Providence,  the 
hour  had  come  for  the  awakening  of  this  lost  people  from 
the  sleep  of  centuries,  the  light  shone  and  the  voice  came 
from  beyond  the  distant  shores  of  America.  The 
missionaries  came  amongst  us;  translated  the  Bible  into  the 
vernacular,  preached  the  gospel,  and  opened  Sunday-schools. 
Though  the  bulk  of  the  Bulgarians  still  keep  their  connection 
with  the  old  Greek  Church,  they  have  shown  all  along 
a  great  liking  for  reading  the  Bible  in  their  own  language. 

216 


Bulgaria 

Many  thousands  of  copies  of  the  Scriptures  have  been  sold. 
The  reports  of  the  colporteurs  are  very  encouraging.  Re- 
cently one  of  them  has  sold  one  thousand  one  hundred  and 
fifty  copies  of  Bibles,  Testaments  and  portions  within  a  few 
months  among  a  population  of  twenty  thousand.  Another 
reports  having  sold  twice  as  much  during  the  first  two 
months  of  the  current  year  as  he  sold  for  the  twelve  months 
of  1906.  So  far  the  gospel  has  been  a  great  power  in 
shaping  the  destinies  of  the  nation  and  preparing  it  to  take 
a  prominent  part  in  the  coming  of  Christ's  Kingdom. 

Just  now  the  Bulgarians  are  celebrating  the  one  thous- 
and years'  jubilee  of  their  conversion  to  Christianity  and 
the  translation  of  the  Bible  into  the  old  Bulgarian  or  Slavic 
language.  Doubtless  this  event  will  help  to  arouse  a  fresh 
interest  in  the  study  of  the  Bible  as  the  revelation  of  God. 

It  is  almost  fifty  years  since  the  first  missionaries  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  came  to  us  and  occupied  the 
northern  part  of  the  country.  They  were  soon  followed  by 
their  colleagues  of  the  American  Board  who  undertook  the 
evangelization  of  the  two  ancient  provinces  of  Thrace  and 
Macedonia. 

Side  by  side  and  in  full  harmony  with  the  American 
missions,  a  native  evangelical  association  has  been  at  w^ork 
for  more  than  thirty  years.  In  addition  to  its  evangeHstic 
efforts,  this  native  agency  is  preparing  the  yearly  Sunday- 
school  lesson  helps  which  have  met  with  great  success.  So 
far  the  time  has  been  spent  mainly  in  sowing  the  Word  of 
God  and  preparing  the  w^ay  for  the  coming  of  the  Lord. 
And  now  the  outlook  is  most  encouraging.  ''The  morning 
Cometh."  Through  the  mighty  outpouring  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  in  answer  to  prayer  and  faithful  work,  we  are  expecting 
a  great  ingathering,  a  revival  of  religion,  a  mighty  tide  of 
grace  which  shall  not  only  shake  the  stronghold  of  sin  and 
the  prevailing  infidelity  in  our  midst,  but  through  Bulgaria 
as  in  olden  times,  penetrate  into  the  surrounding  countries 
of  Servia,  Montenegro  and  Roumania,  which  are  still  lying 

217 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

in  spiritual  darkness  and  where  no  missionary  thus  far  has 
been  allowed  to  settle  permanently  and  preach  the  gospel 
of  Christ. 

Our  great  needs  at  present  are  the  organization  of  one 
Sunday-school  union  for  Bulgaria  and  Macedonia;  men  to 
do  pioneer  work  by  encouraging  the  study  of  the  Bible  and 
organizing  new  Sunday-schools. 

Through  the  recommendation  of  the  native  Evangelical 
Society,  May  20  has  been  appointed  as  a  day  for  prayer  in 
behalf  of  the  World's  Fifth  Sunday  School  Convention 
fully  confident  that  the  Lord's  blessing  will  rest  on  its 
deliberations  and  measures  for  the  furtherance  of  the 
Sunday-school  cause  among  the  nations  of  the  earth. 


The  Story  of  Organized  Sunday  School  Work 
in  China 

By  the  Rev.  Frank  A.  Smith 

Organized  Sunday-school  work  in  China  was  born  at 
Shanghai,  May  4,  1907.  Previous  to  that  time  successful 
schools  were  scattered  here  and  there  in  the  empire,  but  they 
were  few  in  number.  In  Peking  was  a  school  of  a  thousand 
members  conducted  by  Dr.  Gamewell,  and  in  Fu-chou  one 
of  five  hundred  members,  formerly  conducted  by  the  Rev. 
W.  H.  Lacey.  Some  of  the  other  schools  were  conducted 
by  missionaries,  and  some  by  Chinese  working  under  mission 
direction.  In  most  of  the  port-centers  vigorous  efforts  had 
been  made  among  the  Chinese,  but  there  was  a  great  dearth 
in  villages  and  where  Christian  work  is  in  its  infancy.  The 
Union  Churches  in  the  open  ports  maintained  Sunday- 
schools  for  the  children  of  foreign  residents,  that  connected 
with  the  Union  Church  at  Shanghai  being  carefully  graded 
and  organized,  and  using  the  International  system  of 
lessons.  There  were  also  some  isolated  workers  preparing 
lesson  helps,  either  using  a  plan  of  their  own  or  translating 


China 

those  prepared  for  the  International  system.  A  few  relig- 
ious papers  and  tracts  were  prepared  for  this  work. 

But  there  was  no  general  movement  and  a  complete  lack 
of  co-ordination  of  effort.  There  was  neither  unity  of 
workers  nor  plans  and,  for  the  most  part,  nothing  was  being 
done  for  the  Chinese  children  in  this  direction.  Such 
efforts  as  were  made  often  comprised  simply  a  gathering 
for  training  Christians  of  mature  years,  in  biblical  teaching 
and  the  duties  of  the  Christian  life.  Young  people  have  not 
been  a  conspicuous  element  among  the  converts  up  to  the 
present  time,  for  the  pressure  and  influence  of  the  older 
members  of  the  family  or  clan  keeps  many  back.  The 
overworked  missionaries  had  in  many  instances  been  unable 
to  take  the  initiative,  and,  because  the  Chinese  workers  had 
failed  to  comprehend  the  importance  of  the  Sunday-school, 
the  native  church  had  made  no  distinct  attempt  to  reach  the 
youth  of  China  to  impart  religious  instruction. 

Among  the  topics  for  discussion  at  the  China  Missionary 
Centenary  Conference,  a  committee  was  appointed  to  pre- 
pare a  paper  on  ''The  Study  and  Use  of  the  Bible,"  with 
the  Rev.  D.  Willard  Lyon,  of  Shanghai,  as  Chairman.  The 
sub-topic  of  ''The  Sunday-school"  was  assigned  to  the  Rev. 
W.  C.  White,  of  Loyuan,  Fuhkien  Province.  He  made 
an  exhaustive  study  of  the  conditions  in  every  part  of  the 
empire  and  presented  a  valuable  and  illuminative  report. 
Replies  were  received  from  two  hundred  missionaries  rep- 
resenting every  shade  of  belief  and  every  province  in  the 
Empire  and  Manchuria.  These  returns  showed  that  only 
12  per  cent  of  the  Chinese  Churches  had  a  Sunday-school 
with  a  Primary  Department,  and  6i  per  cent  had  no  school. 
In  the  Christian  boarding-schools  and  colleges  the  per- 
centage was  greater,  but  one-third  had  no  training  other 
than  the  regular  preaching.  Opinion  was  about  equally 
divided  regarding  the  use  of  the  International  lessons,  the 
principal  objection  being  that  they  are  unsuited  to  the 
present  condition  of   Christianity  in  China.     The  feeling 

219 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

was  very  strong  that  the  Sunday-school  should  be  more 
generally  used  in  missionary  work,  and,  to  quote  from  Mr. 
White,  "The  facts  abundantly  prove  that  Sunday-school 
work  will  in  the  near  future  become  as  important  a  factor 
in  the  Christian  Church  in  China  as  in  the  home  lands." 

Valuable  prehminary  work  was  also  done  by  Mr.  Frank 
L.  Brown,  of  Brooklyn,  who  visited  China  immediately 
preceding  the  Conference.  On  invitation  from  Mr.  Lyon, 
he  stopped  on  his  way  from  Japan  to  the  Rome  Convention, 
holding  conferences  with  missionaries  in  Shanghai  and 
Su-chou,  and  visiting  several  schools.  At  the  close  of  his 
visit  a  committee  was  appointed  with  the  Rev.  W.  H.  Lacey 
as  chairman,  to  co-operate  with  the  committee  already  ap- 
pointed by  the  Conference,  and  also  to  assist  the  Reverend 
Richard  B urges.  Secretary  of  the  India  Sunday-school  Union, 
who  was  expecting  to  attend  the  Conference  in  the  interests 
of  organized  Sunday-school  work. 

As  soon  as  Mr.  Burges  arrived  in  Shanghai  he  began 
a  prehminary  campaign.  Many  meetings  and  interviews 
were  held  previous  to  the  formal  action  of  the  Conference. 
On  April  26,  Mr.  Lyon  held  a  joint  meeting  of  the  Com- 
mittee appointed  by  the  Conference  and  the  committee 
suggested  by  Mr.  Brown,  to  which  he  invited  a  number  of 
missionaries  and  visitors  from  America  and  Europe.  Mr. 
Burges  explained  the  work  in  India,  and  expressed  the  hope 
that  similar  work  might  be  begun  in  China.  The  Reverend 
Frank  A.  Smith,  Member  of  the  International  Executive 
Committee,  from  New  Jersey,  brought  greetings  from  the 
workers  in  the  United  States,  and  a  message  from  Dr.  Geo. 
W.  Bailey,  Chairman  of  the  World's  Executive  Committee. 
It  was  thought  best  to  request  the  Conference  to  appoint 
a  General  Committee  for  Sunday-school  work  in  the  empire 
and  authorize  the  employment  of  a  general  secretary.  This 
was  followed  by  a  meeting  at  the  Astor  House,  on  April  29. 
Both  coramittees  were  present  together  with  several  friends 
of  the  Sunday-school  cause.     The  Reverend  J.  F.  Goucher, 

220 


China 

D.D.,  of  Baltimore,  was  made  chairman.  After  earnest 
prayer  the  sentiment  was  unanimous  that  the  time  was  ripe 
to  begin  organized  work  in  China  and  that  a  secretary  would 
be  a  necessity  from  the  first.  Subject  to  the  action  of  the 
Conference,  pledges  were  made.  Mr.  Earl  Taylor  was  the 
first  with  $500  in  behalf  of  the  Young  People's  Missionary 
Movement.  Mr.  L.  H.  Severance,  of  Ohio,  promised  $500, 
and  Dr.  Goucher,  the  Reverend  Samuel  Green  of  Seattle, 
and  others  followed.  This  beginning  of  Sunday-school 
history  in  China  took  place  in  Room  128  of  the  Astor  House, 
Shanghai,  occupied  at  that  time  by  Mr.  Smith. 

The  matter  came  before  the  Conference  for  final  action 
on  May  4.  Mr.  B urges,  t6  whose  untiring  effort  and 
industry  much  credit  is  due  for  the  successful  result  of  this 
undertaking,  was  given  a  brief  hearing.  The  Conference 
then,  by  a  unanimous  vote,  adopted  the  resolutions  creating 
the  General  Committee  for  Sunday-school  work  as  a  depart- 
ment of  the  Conference,  and  authorized  the  employment  of 
a  General  Secretary. 

The  organization,  as  completed  at  the  close  of  the  Con- 
ference, consisted  of  a  General  Committee  representing  all 
parts  of  the  empire,  and  an  Executive  Committee  resident 
in  or  near  Shanghai.  The  Chau-man  of  the  latter  committee 
is  the  Reverend  W.  H.  Lacey,.  who  has  shown  such  deep 
interest  in  the  work.  The  two  bodies  began  their  labors  at 
once.  The  chief  problem  at  present  is  to  secure  a  man  of 
suitable  qualifications  for  the  office  of  General  Secretary. 

The  cost  of  maintaining  this  officer  will  be  not  far  from 
$3,000  in  gold  a  year.  This  is  larger  than  the  sum  given  to 
most  missionaries  for  several  reasons.  $800  of  this  will  be 
needed  for  travel,  a  matter  of  supreme  importance  the  first 
few  years,  and  indispensable  for  all  time.  China  is  a  country 
of  magnificent  distances  and  journeys  are  slow,  tedious,  and 
expensive.  A  Secretary's  salary  must  be  larger  than  a  mis- 
sionary's for  the  reason  that  the  mission  boards  provide  all 
missionaries  with  homes  free  of  expense.     The  Secretary 

221 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

must  rent  a  home.  He  must  live  in  Shanghai  where  rents 
are  as  high  as  in  our  American  cities — there  are  no  moderate- 
priced  houses  for  rent  in  the  International  Settlement  of 
Shanghai.  Though  only  a  part  of  the  necessary  funds  are 
in  hand,  the  outlook  warrants  the  committee  in  going  ahead. 
It  is  also  worthy  of  note  that  Mr.  Burges  succeeded  in 
interesting  some  of  the  business  men  of  Shanghai  in  the 
movement,  sufficiently  for  them  to  make  large  contributions 
toward  the  office  expenses. 

Never  has  the  Christian  Church  been  given  such  an 
opportunity  as  now  confronts  it  in  China.  One  of  the 
factors  to  bring  in  the  new  day,  and  one  of  the  strong  arms 
of  Christianity,  will  be  this  work.  It  was  begun  under  cir- 
cumstances that  clearly  indicate  a  providential  guidance. 
It  must  be  supported  by  the  prayers  and  gifts  of  the  friends 
of  Sunday-school  work  throughout  the  world. 

Editor's  Note. — Although  this  report  of  the  Sunday-school 
movement  in  China  was  not  presented  at  the  Convention  it  was 
deemed  advisable  to  include  it  among  the  reports  from  various 
countries. 


Congo  Free  State 

By  the  Rev.  Joseph  Clark 

It  is  now  twenty-nine  years  since  our  Mission  commenced, 
and  fully  twenty-seven  since  I  landed  on  the  Congo.  In 
a  few  words  I  would  describe  the  conditions  then  faced,  and 
those  now  prevailing  that  you  may  compare  the  two. 

Roughly  speaking,  when  we  passed  south  of  the  American 
Presbyterian  Mission  at  Gaboon,  we  had  before  us  a  coast- 
line of  more  than  one  thousand  miles  on  which  no  Sunday- 
school  work  had  been  done,  and  in  that  region  there  were 
at  least  2,000,000  square  miles  in  which  not  a  single  Sunday- 
school  existed. 

There  too  the  surrounding  conditions  were  very  different 
from  those  met  in  the  home  lands.  The  languages  are 
many  and  were  unwritten  and  unknown.     We  found  none 

222 


Congo  Free  State 

among  the  people  who  could  read  or  write,  and  they  could 
not  understand  our  earnest  desire  and  efforts  to  get  their 
words,  nor  our  making  marks  on  our  paper  in  the  endeavor 
to  hold  the  sounds  we  heard  and  their  supposed  meanings. 
There  was  practically  no  religion  to  be  found  among  them, 
for  Central  African  fetichism  is  too  low  to  be  classed  as 
a  religion.  There  was  no  definite  term  " God"  to  be  found, 
their  conception  of  sin  was  very  indefinite,  the  idea  of  love 
was  not  clearly  stated,  and  even  the  words  indicating 
relationships  were  very  loosely  used.  A  life  beyond  the 
grave  was  not  expected,  many  denying  that  they  had  an 
undying  part;  and  the  most  enlightened  only  admitting  that 
it  was  a  very  doubtful  possibility.  Along  the  coast  the  rum 
fiend  was  already  enthroned.  In  the  interior,  the  people 
were  savage  cannibals.  As  each  village  had  its  own  chief 
or  chiefs,  savage  fights  and  long  lasting  feuds  between  the 
villages  were  frequent,  perpetuating  cannibahsm  and 
rendering  journeying  dangerous.  No  voice  had  told  them 
the  story  of  Jesus  and  his  loving  sacrifice,  or  that  there  was 
a  God  who  cared  for  them. 

In  addition  to  the  difficulty  of  acquiring  the  language 
we  had  to  explore  for  the  best  sites  for  Mission  stations,  and 
to  build  our  own  houses  of  native  materials,  labor  being 
supplied  by  Sierra  Leone  and  Kroo  men  w^ho  knew  a  little 
English  but  not  the  Congo  tongues. 

Later  other  hindrances  arose  which  caused  us  a  great 
deal  of  trouble.  The  Congo  Free  State  was  established 
by  the  treaty  of  Berlin  and  our  hopes  were  high  for  a  speedy 
development  of  the  country  on  the  best  lines.  But  our 
high  hopes  were  dashed  to  the  ground,  and  we  found  we 
WTre  to  have  a  government  of  the  people,  not  for  the  sake 
of  the  governed,  but  for  the  benefit  of  those  who  were  to 
rule.  Transport  of  goods  into  the  interior  by  native  porters 
forced  from  our  schools  many  eager  to  learn,  and  the 
method  of  arranging  for  carriers  gave  rise  to  much  trouble, 
so  that  the  country  was  in  a  state  of  great  unrest.     Many, 

223 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

compelled  to  carry  loads  when  feeble  or  sick,  died  on  the 
road.  Even  small  boys  had  long  journeys  to  make,  sleeping 
on  the  ground  in  the  open,  exposed  to  heavy  dews  and 
rain  and  insufficiently  fed.  Among  such  the  death  rate 
was  greatly  increased. 

In  the  interior  the  collection  of  native  rubber  and  gum 
copal,  and  forced  labor  on  rubber,  coffee  and  cocoa  state 
plantations  gave  rise  to  great  oppression  and  thousands 
were  killed.  A  bounty  was  given  to  the  white  men  according 
to  the  output  of  the  district,  and  we  can  easily  see  why  the 
government  officers  pushed  native  labor  and  why  unreason- 
able and  cruel  demands  were  made  on  the  poor  African. 
Human  Hfe  was  nothing  to  the  foreigner — rubber,  etc., 
enriched  him.  Because  of  the  seeming  certainty  of  war 
between  them  and  the  soldiers  of  the  white  man  life,  to  the 
natives,  ceased  to  be  worth  living,  and  they  fell  an  easy  prey 
to  some  slight  sicknesses.  Maternity  was  no  longer  desired ; 
it  was  definitely  avoided. 

These  things  have  hindered  our  work  and  have  given  rise 
to  the  outcry  raised  by  many  missionaries  against  the  mode 
of  government  employed  by  the  Congo  Free  State  authori- 
ties. Also  the  favoritism  shown  to  the  priests  has  often  been 
the  means  of  driving  children  from  ours  to  the  stations  of 
the  Roman  Catholic  priests;  and  the  influence  of  these 
fathers  has  been  openly  exerted  against  us.  They  forbid 
the  people  to  come  near  our  houses  and  meetings.  We 
have  plodded  steadily  onward  seeking,  as  far  as  possible, 
to  keep  the  peace,  and  God  has  blessed  the  work  in  every 
mission  station. 

To-day  we  can  praise  God  that  nearly  twelve  thousand 
young  people  are  being  instructed  in  God's  Word,  and  that 
we  have  nearly  six  hundred  natives  who  are  able  to  help  us 
in  this  work  on  the  Congo. 

In  some  stations  the  Sunday-school  work  takes  the  form 
of  young  people's  meetings,  and  in  others  classes  with 
native  teachers  are  arranged.     Both  forms  are  used  by  us 

224 


Denmark 

in  training  our  young  speakers  and  teachers  for  independent 
work. 

When  the  nature  of  the  lesson  permits  one  is  appointed 
to  read  up  the  story  and  to  try  to  get  all  its  points,  that 
without  book  or  other  help  he  may  tell  the  incident  in  his 
own  words.  We  often  find  that  our  story-teller  has  care- 
fully considered  the  setting  of  the  narrative  from  the  native 
standpoint  and  has  shown  great  skill  in  his  word  painting. 

Note  also  that  our  day-schools  are  in  a  very  real  sense 
Sunday-schools,  for  the  reading  books  are  the  Gospels 
or  other  religious  works  in  the  native  tongues. 

We  thank  God,  then,  and  take  courage,  and  here  take  this 
opportunity  of  pleading  that  prayer  be  made  for  the  work, 
specially  among  the  young,  in  the  Congo  Independent 
State. 

Denmark 

By  p.  D.  Koch,  M.  D. 

In  Denmark,  ninety-eight  per  cent  of  a  population  num- 
bering in  all  two  millions  and  a  half  belong  to  the  Evan- 
gehcal-Lutheran  State  Church.  The  Dissenters  amount 
to  only  about  twenty  thousand. 

Since  the  year  1814  school  instruction  has  been  compulsory 
for  all  children  from  seven  to  fourteen  years  of  age,  and  all 
are  taught  rehgion.  As  a  rule,  the  children  of  Dissenters 
also  take  part  in  the  religious  instruction;  but  they  are  not 
compelled  to  do  so,  providing  they  are  taught  elsewhere. 

Religious  instruction  in  the  Board  schools  differs  of  course, 
a  great  deal,  but  is  in  general  good,  considered  as  a  means 
of  instruction  in  Bible  history.  However,  it  has  not  been 
sufficiently  thorough  to  prevent  large  portions  of  the  people, 
especially  in  the  larger  towns,  from  placing  themselves 
outside  of,  or  in  opposition  to,  all  vital  Christianity. 

There  has  been,  in  consequence,  and  still  is  real  need  for 
Sunday-school  work;  for  it  aims  more  directly  at  developing 
the  children's  spiritual  life. 

225 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

The  Sunday-school  work  began  with  us  about  the  year 
1870,  and  received  both  impulse  and  pecuniary  assistance 
from  England  during  the  first  years;  but  long  ago  it  became 
independent. 

The  last  report  from  Denmark  was  given  at  the  World's 
Convention  held  in  London,  in  1889;  then  there  were  three 
hundred  Sunday-schools,  with  two  thousand  teachers  and 
thirty-five  thousand  children.  Now  there  are  about  one 
thousand  Sunday-schools,  with  five  thousand  teachers  and 
about  eighty  thousand  children.  It  may  be  remarked  that 
many  prefer  not  to  call  it  Sunday-school,  but  children's 
services,  in  order  better  to  indicate  the  character  of  the  work. 

In  the  last  twenty  years  the  numbers  have  thus  more  than 
doubled.  The  number  of  children  from  six  to  thirteen 
years  of  age  (which  is  the  age  of  the  children  in  our  Sunday- 
schools)  is  about  four  hundred  thousand  in  the  whole 
country.  As  eighty  thousand  of  these  attend  the  Sunday- 
schools,  it  makes  a  total  of  twenty  per  cent.  In  Copenhagen 
every  fourth  girl  and  every  eighth  boy  go  to  Sunday-school; 
in  many  parts  of  the  country  a  much  higher  per  cent.  But 
besides  the  Sunday-school  work  there  has  in  late  years 
sprung  up  a  large  voluntary  Boys'  Brigade,  and  in  the 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association  there  is  also  a  large 
branch  for  boys  between  eleven  and  fourteen  years  of  age. 

We  use  in  the  Sunday-schools  in  most  places  a  special 
Httle  hymn-book,  which  has  been  pubHshed  in  an  edition  of 
about  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand. 

Our  most  widely  used  children's  paper  publishes  weekly 
24,000  copies  and  a  paper  for  teachers  circulates  2,200 
copies  with  a  commentary  on  the  Sunday's  lesson.  Besides, 
there  is  held  almost  everywhere  in  the  towns,  and  in  the 
country  in  about  one-third  of  the  Sunday-schools,  a  weekly 
preparatory  meeting  of  the  teachers. 

The  Dissenters  in  Denmark  use  the  International  Lessons 
and  have  their  own  children's  papers.  Their  Sunday- 
schools  are  noted  for  their  supply  of  teachers. 

226 


Denmark 

In  the  Lutheran  State  Church  Sunday-schools  in  Denmark 
we  have  a  special  four-years'  list  of  lessons.  During  the 
first  six  months  of  each  year  the  lessons  are  made  up  of  the 
four  Gospels,  and  one  quarter  of  the  Acts,  and  in  the  latter 
part  of  every  year  of  the  Old  Testament,  especially  its 
historical  parts.  That  we  have  not  adopted  the  Inter- 
national Lessons  is  owing  to  the  fact  that  they  do  not  agree 
sufficiently  well  with  the  events  of  the  Church-year,  and 
that  they  require  a  longer  period  than  we  count  upon  being 
able  to  keep  the  children  in  our  Sunday-schools.  The 
children's  paper  has  a  separate  edition  referring  to  foreign 
missions,  and  children  belonging  to  the  Sunday-schools 
support  their  own  missionary  in  South  India,  as  others 
contribute  towards  the  support  of  other  missionaries. 

In  the  Danish  colonies  there  is  only  a  small  beginning  at 
Sunday-school  work;  but  we  hope  in  the  near  future  to  be 
able  to  help  to  support  and  strengthen  their  efforts.  In 
Iceland,  with  its  eighty  thousand  inhabitants,  there  is  only 
one  Sunday-school  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  children,  in 
Rejkjavik.  In  the  Faroe  Islands,  with  about  15,000 
inhabitants,  there  are  a  few  small  Sunday-schools.  In 
Greenland  there  is  a  little  Sunday-school,  and  every  Christ- 
mas two  thousand  copies  of  a  translation  in  Greenland- 
ish  of  the  Christmas  number  of  our  children's  paper  are 
distributed  amongst  the  children  in  South  Greenland. 
In  the  Danish  West  Indies,  with  a  population  of  thirty 
thousand,  principally  Negroes,  of  late  years  earnest  Sunday- 
school  work  has  been  begun  in  several  places,  and  much 
has  been  done  towards  promoting  Christian  work  in  general. 

Of  late  years  in  Denmark,  on  the  whole,  there  has  been 
a  great  uplifting  in  spiritual  work  and  many  real  revivals 
not  without  connection  with  the  Sunday-school  work. 
During  the  last  twenty  years,  by  voluntary  contributions  of 
church  members  throughout  Denmark,  there  have  been 
built  twenty-five  new  churches  in  Copenhagen,  and  consid- 
erable Christian  work  has  been  done  around  these  churches. 

227 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

There  is  among  the  church  members  a  strong,  growing 
interest  in  foreign  and  other  missions.  For  instance,  there 
is  a  small  society  which  helps  to  support  the  Waldensian 
Church  in  Italy,  and  has  its  own  httle  paper.  We  remember 
with  pleasure  delegates  from  the  Waldensian  Church,  who 
have  visited  Copenhagen  and  spoken  of  their  work. 


Egypt 

By  thf:  Rev.  Chauncey  Murch 
(Supplemented  by  Words  from  Native  Pastors) 

It  gives  me  pleasure  to  share  part  of  the  time  at  my 
disposal  with  two  of  our  pastors  from  Upper  Egypt,  four  of 
whom  are  with  me.  Two  of  these  pastors  come  from 
self-supporting  congregations.  I  have  the  privilege  of 
introducing  to  you  the  Reverend  Moawad  Hanna,  pastor 
of  our  Assiut  congregation,  the  largest  of  all  our  congrega- 
tions in  Egypt. 

The  Rev,  Moawad  Hanna: 

Nearly  all  of  you  wear  a  small  ribbon,  the  badge  of  the 
convention — we  Egyptians  wear  two.  In  addition  to  the 
ribbon  badge  we  wear  a  second  badge  on  our  heads.  If  we 
should  lose  our  ribbon  we  would  still  be  known  by  the  red 
fez  on  our  heads. 

I  hope  when  you  hear  the  word  "Egypt"  you  will  not 
now  connect  it  with  the  cruel  and  tyrannical  Pharaohs  of 
ancient  times;  but  I  trust  you  will  think  of  it  as  it  has  been 
spoken  of  in  the  Word  of  God,  which  calls  the  land  of  Egypt 
the  paradise  of  the  Lord. 

Some  of  you  are  aware  of  the  fact  that  Egypt  was  evan- 
gelized in  the  early  years  of  Christianity  by  the  preaching 
of  Mark,  one  of  the  apostles  of  our  Lord;  and  our  old 
church  is  still  known  by  his  name,  as  St.  Mark's  Church. 
It  is  also  known  as  the  Coptic  Church,  the  Copts  being  the 
descendants  of  the  ancient  Egyptians. 

Sunday-schools  were  not  known  in  our  old  church  as  they 
are  conducted  in  modern  times,  yet  one  of  its  important 

228 


E,s^ypt 

principles  was  to  teach  the  boys  to  read  the  Gospels  and  to 
commit  to  memory  certain  parts  of  God's  Holy  Word, 
especially  the  Psalms.  Through  the  repetition  of  these 
Scripture  passages,  the  boys  took  part  in  divine  service. 

The  largest  Sunday-school  in  Egypt  is  the  one  in  the 
American  Missions  College  at  Assiut,  the  city  where  I  live 
and  work.  This  school  has  about  eight  hundred  pupils 
in  attendance.  The  pupils  give  cheerfully  to  the  Lord's 
work.  They  have  agreed  to  pay  half  the  salary  of  one  of 
our  preachers  in  the  Soudan.  They  have  further  agreed 
to  assist  two  of  our  poorer  congregations.  In  addition  to 
these  things  they  are  helping  with  the  regular  work,  such 
as  ministerial  relief,  zenana  work,  the  pubhcation  of  the 
Sunday-school  Lesson  Leaf  in  Arabic,  and  in  other  ways. 

This  is  an  example  of  what  a  live  Sunday-school  can  do. 
I  ask  you  to  join  me  in  looking  forward  anxiously  to  the 
fulfilment  of  the  precious  prophecies  uttered  long  ago  in 
regard  to  Egypt.     ''Blessed  be  Egypt  my  people!" 

Mr.  Murch: 

When  at  home  in  1904  I  attended  a  large  Convention  in 
Pittsburg,  that  met  to  celebrate  the  semi-centennial  of  the 
establishment  of  the  work  of  the  United  Presbyterian 
denomination  both  in  Egypt  and  also  in  the  Province  of 
the  Punjaub  in  India.  One  of  the  leading  speakers  at  that 
large  convention  had  gone  over  the  copy  of  the  most  recent 
minutes  of  our  General  Assembly.  To  his  surprise  he  had 
found  that  the  congregation  that  had  contributed  the  largest 
sum  to  the  Lord's  work  during  the  year  previous  was 
a  self-supporting  congregation  within  the  bounds  of  our 
Mission  in  Egypt.  Their  contributions  per  member  were 
but  a  few  cents  short  of  twenty  dollars.  I  took  pleasure 
at  that  time  in  informing  the  Pittsburg  Convention  that  the 
majority  of  the  members  of  that  congregation  were  w^omen. 
I  now  take  pleasure  in  introducing  to  this  Convention  the 
pastor  of  that  congregation,  which  still  holds  its  record  of 
contributing  to  the  work  of  the  church  the  largest  amount 

229 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

per  member  of  all  the  congregations  in  the  entire  United 
Presbyterian  denomination,  the  Reverend  Ishak  Ibrahim, 
pastor  of  the  church  at  Kena,  Egypt. 

The  Reverend  Ishak  Ibrahim: 

The  population  of  my  country  is  almost  twelve  millions. 
Of  these  about  eight  per  cent,  or,  in  round  numbers,  one 
million,  are  Christians;  the  remainder  are  Moslems. 

Some  time  ago,  in  a  private  conversation  with  the  Chief 
Justice  of  the  Courts  of  the  Province  of  Kena  (he  is  a 
Moslem),  he  told  me  that  Muhammadanism  has  nothing  to 
fear  from  the  Coptic  Church  nor  from  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church.  "  We  only  fear  Protestant  Christianity.  Protestants 
have  strong  arguments  for  their  belief." 

At  the  time  of  the  beginning  of  Protestant  work  in  Egypt 
the  people  were  very  unwilling  to  introduce  changes  either 
into  their  religion  or  into  their  manners  and  customs,  or  in 
their  business  or  industrial  pursuits.  We  were  perfectly 
satisfied  to  remain  just  as  we  were.  We  had  no  higher 
ambition  than  to  live  and  believe  just  as  our  fathers  had  done. 
Now,  things  are  fast  changing.  Not  only  are  the  people 
willing  to  investigate  Protestant  doctrines,  but  thousands 
have  already  adopted  them,  and  thousands  more,  though 
not  openly  professing  Protestantism,  know  these  doctrines 
to  be  true. 

A  few  years  ago  we  were  satisfied  with  a  light  we  got  from 
a  wick  floating  in  a  saucer  of  oil,  next  we  accepted  gladly 
lamps  with  chimneys,  and  now  electric  light  is  as  acceptable 
to  us  as  it  is  to  you.  As  we  look  back  on  these  changes  we 
believe  that  for  them  we  are  indebted,  more  than  to  anything 
else,  to  the  introduction  of  Protestant  principles  into  our 
modes  of  thought  and  life. 

The  important  feature  of  my  work  in  Kena,  strange  to 
say,  is  found  in  the  fact  that  the  membership  of  the  con- 
gregation is  made  up  largely  of  women.  In  Sunday-school 
work,  as  well  as  in  all  the  other  branches  of  Christian  effort, 
the  women  exceed  the  men  in  numbers,  and  they  surpass 


Egypt 

them  in  zeal  for  the  success  of  the  work.  Give  me  pious 
women  and  I  will  give  you  a  strong  Sunday-school.  Give 
me  a  strong  Sunday-school  and  I  will  give  you  a  strong 
church  able  to  subdue  the  world. 

Mr.  Murch: 

Starting  up  from  Egypt  to  Rome  I  put  into  my  pocket 
these  two  little  objects  which,  had  I  come  some  eighteen 
hundred  years  sooner,  I  might  have  been  exceedingly  anx- 
ious to  have  used  for  the  purpose  for  which  they  were 
intended, — -for  securing  admission  to  the  Roman  Theater. 
They  are  two  small  disks  of  bone  or  ivory,  about  one  and 
one-fourth  inches  in  diameter.  One  of  them  bears  the 
inscription,  in  Greek  letters,  "Sophron."  Sophron  may 
have  been  the  name  of  the  play,  or  it  may  have  been  the 
name  of  the  play's  author.  The  other  ticket  bears  a  portrait 
which  may  be  that  of  the  author  of  the  play  or  that  of  the 
chief  player. 

These  were  carried  to  Egypt,  most  likely,  by  purchasers 
who  had  failed  to  use  them,  where,  when  the  owmers  had 
died,  they  were  left  to  be  found  by  people  of  our  age.  Yes, 
the  Romans  w^ent  to  Egypt.  Aw  ,  up  at  Aswan  on  the 
southern  border  of  the  land  of  Egypt  the  Romans  built  on 
the  shore  of  the  Nile  one  of  their  famous  baths.  At  Esna, 
one  hundred  miles  further  north,  they  built  another  bath; 
and  at  Luxor,  ancient  Thebes,  they  built  a  m.agnificent 
quay  of  hewn  sandstone  brought  from  a  point  eighty  miles 
up  the  river. 

For  nearly  two  thousand  years  the  successive  rise  and 
fall  of  the  Nile  has  gone  up  and  down  without  inter- 
mission, the  waves  of  the  mighty  river  beating  against 
these  baths  and  quay  and  still,  though  all  but  the  ruins  of 
their  former  greatness  have  been  carried  away,  the  founda- 
tions of  them  all  stand  firm  and  secure. 

Again  at  x\swan,  at  Edfon,  at  Esna,  at  Luxor,  and  at 
Dendera,  the  Romans  built  Egyptian  temples  so  complete 
that  to  our  day  they  remain  for  us,  the  interpretation  of  the 

231 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

older  Egyptian  temples,  some  of  them  now  ruined  almost 
past  recognition — remain  so  complete  in  all  their  detail  of 
foundation,  pillared  hall,  and  solid  stone  roof  that  could  the 
old  Egyptian  priests  return  they  might  begin  their  solemn 
rites  and  ceremonies  just  where  they  left  them  off  more  than 
fifteen  hundred  years  ago. 

The  idea  I  would  wish  to  have  suggested  to  us  by  these 
things  is  the  duty  of  our  laying  the  foundations  of  our  work 
deep,  deep,  strong,  strong, — strong  and  enduring.  Ours  is 
a  work  the  permanency  of  which  will  not  have  been  shaken 
by  a  jot  or  tittle  when  Egyptian  pyramid  and  temple  shall 
have  crumbled  into  dust  and  have  passed  away  forever. 
As  we  go  back  from  this  Convention  to  our  respective  fields 
of  labor,  considering  both  the  preciousness  of  the  materials 
with  which  we  work  and  the  permanency  of  the  work  we 
have  to  perform,  let  us  labor  to  place  our  foundations  firm, 
broad  and  enduring. 

I  might  easily  spend  more  than  all  the  time  I  have  at  my 
disposal  in  telling  you  more  of  the  interesting  sect  from 
which  our  young  friends  come  w^ho  have  already  spoken. 
But  a  much  heavier  burden  lies  upon  my  heart.  It  is  the 
burden  of  Muhammadan  Egypt.  The  educated  Muham- 
madan  admits  that  Jesus  was  a  prophet;  but  he  persistently 
denies  our  Lord's  divinity.  Millions  of  Muhammadans 
are  never  taught  the  Lord's  Prayer.  Millions  of  Muham- 
madan children  are  never  taught  a  "Now  I  lay  me  down  to 
sleep;"  never  taught  "Jesus  loves  me;"  never  taught  that 
"God  is  love."  With  these  people  our  lot  is  cast.  We 
are  brought  into  daily  contact  with  them  in  all  the  walks  of 
life.  Their  children  are  in  our  schools;  we  are  welcomed 
and  entertained  by  them  in  their  homes;  we  rejoice  with 
them  when  they  rejoice,  and  w^e  weep  with  them  w^ien  they 
weep.  Our  hearts  reach  out  towards  them  and  their 
children  in  yearning  love  for  them  and  in  the  desire  that  they 
may  know  Christ.  Strong  as  adamant,  hard  as  that  Egyp- 
tian granite  of  which  so  many  of  the  statues  of  their  old 

232 


France 

Pharaohs  were  sculptured,  so  strong  and  so  hard  have  their 
hearts  been  turned  away  from  and  against  the  Saviour  we 
love,  Jesus  to  whom  we  owe  all.  Our  heart's  desire  and 
prayer  to  God  is  that  the  Christian  Church  may  speedily 
rise  up  and  put  on  her  armor,  and  go  forth  in  the  name  of  our 
divine  prophet  to  win  the  peoples  of  such  lands  as  Egypt 
for  Christ. 

Editor's  Note. — Mr.  Murch's  words  will  have  added  sig- 
nificance, as  a  last  message  to  his  fellow-workers  in  the  world 
field;  for  only  five  months  after  the  Convention,  on  Oct.  15th,  he 
was  suddenly  called  upon  to  lay  down  his  work  and  entered  into 
the  new  life. 


France 

By  the  Rev.  Charles  Bieler  and  Blanche  D'Aubigne  Bieler 

The  Rev.  Charles  Bieler: 

How  can  I  better  review  the  situation  of  the  Christian 
churches  of  France,  and  the  task  allotted  to  our  Sunday- 
schools  than  by  these  two  words:  disruption  and  union? 

The  mere  idea  of  a  rupture  with  Rome  w^ould  have  seemed 
incredible  half  a  century  ago.  At  that  time,  there  was  an 
army  of  fifteen  thousand  French  soldiers  maintaining 
within  the  walls  of  this  city  the  power  of  the  Pope.  The 
name  of  the  street  in  front  of  this  building  reminds  us  of 
that  important  date:  September  20,  1870,  when,  after  the 
removal  of  that  French  army,  Itahan  troops,  dealing  the 
final  blow  to  the  temporal  power  of  the  Pope,  triumphantly 
entered  into  Rome  and  began  the  era  of  liberty,  order,  and 
prosperity  which  we  admire  and  enjoy  to-day. 

In  1870,  France  was  so  closely  allied  to  papacy  as  to  be 
ready  to  shed  the  blood  of  her  children  in  its  defense.  After 
thirty-five  years  of  sjradual  estrangement,  and  of  growing 
discord,  the  visit  of  our  President,  M.  Loubet,  to  the  Italian 
King,  causing  the  Pope  to  unjustly  attack  the  French 
government,  brings  matters  to  a  sudden  crisis.     The  old 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

bond  between  the  two  powers  was  definitely  broken  Decem- 
ber 9,  1905,  and  France  is  the  first  nation  of  the  Old  World 
to  adopt  in  her  constitution  that  great  principle  of  Cavour, 
the  great  ItaHan  statesman,  and  already  realized  in  the 
United  States,  one  hundred  years  ago:  a  free  church  in 
a  free  state. 

Disruption  between  Church  and  State,  disruption  in  our 
old  Reformed  church  of  France,  which  has  organized  itself 
into  three  sections,  with  separate  synods:  the  m.ost  important 
comprising  the  conservative  evangelicals,  the  extreme  left 
having  very  much  the  same  standard  of  faith  as  your  Uni- 
tarians, while  a  third  central  organization  represents  more 
the  social  than  the  dogmatic  side  of  Protestant  Christianity. 
Although  we  grieve  at  this  dismemberment  of  the  old  historic 
church  of  the  Huguenots,  we  rejoice  to  think  that  if  this 
disruption  was  a  necessity  of  the  times,  many  forces  in  our 
country  are  working  towards  unity. 

To-day  I  can  speak  of  only  one  of  these  forces,  and  that  is 
the  Sunday-school.  Our  French  Union  is,  if  I  am  not 
mistaken,  the  only  one  in  the  world  which  unites  all  the 
Protestant  denominations  of  one  country.  The  children 
of  the  Reformed,  Lutheran,  Free,  Methodist,  and  Baptist 
churches,  with  a  few  individual  exceptions  only,  study  the 
same  Lists,  read  the  same  leaflets,  sing  from  the  same 
hymn  book.  Our  influence  spreads  over  1,200  schools, 
7,000  teachers,  and  67,000  scholars.  Is  this  fact  not  the 
promise  of  a  future  union  of  all  the  Protestant  forces  of  our 
country  against  the  old  enemies — papacy  and  infidehty? 
At  every  hand  we  see  the  blessed  results  of  this  close  bond 
existing  between  our  churches  and  our  Sunday-school  union. 
Allow  me  to  give  you  a  few  instances  of  this  co-operation,  and 
of  the  new  opportunities  opened  out  since  the  Disestab- 
lishment. 

The  little  town  of  Agen,  celebrated  for  the  dried  prunes 
which  we  find  on  all  the  luncheon  tables  of  the  civilized 
world,  was  until  last  year  celebrated  by  another  circumstance. 

234 


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M 


H^ 


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France 

It  possessed  a  Protestant  community  without  a  Sunday- 
school.  This  was  the  fault  of  its  pastor,  who  was  an 
unfaithful  steward  indeed.  The  Disestablishment  put  that 
to  rights  by  disestablishing  the  pastor,  and  establishing  in 
his  place  an  ardent  worker,  helped  by  an  energetic  wife, 
whose  first  reform  was  the  organizing  of  a  Sunday-school. 
I  visited  this  school  lately  and  was  glad  to  encourage  this 
firstfruit  of  the  rich  harvest  that  the  Disestablishment  will 
bring,  we  trust,  to  our  Protestant  churches. 

The  next  scene  takes  us  very  far  from  the  green  orchards 
of  the  southwest  of  France,  into  the  grimy,  black  country 
of  the  North.  Here  the  working  men  w^ere  disturbed  during 
many  months  after  the  terrible  catastrophe  of  Courrieres. 
They  were  enraged  against  the  tyrannical  rule  exercised  by 
the  Roman  church  through  the  owners  of  mines  and  fac- 
tories, and  dissatisfied  with  the  government  on  account  of 
its  interference  in  the  strikes.  The  opportunity  seemed 
favorable  to  a  poor  Baptist  colporteur  of  Denain,  the 
Newcastle  of  France,  who  began  to  preach  the  gospel  to  an 
audience  of  forty  or  fifty  men  and  women  in  a  Httle  back 
kitchen  large  enough  to  seat  twenty.  After  some  weeks  of 
this  Christian  eftort  for  the  aduks,  a  father  said  to  M. 
Dejoighe,  the  colporteur:  "Why  do  you  do  nothing  for  our 
children?  Could  you  not  teach  them  in  those  truths  you 
explain  to  us?"  This  appeal  of  the  Macedonian  induced 
M.  Dejoighe  to  start  a  Sunday-school. 
"Our  Father  which  art  in  Heaven." 
"Can  you  tell  me,  boys,  who  'our  Father'  is?" 
*' Don't  know  your  father's  name!  Mine  is  called 
Andrew." 

This  rejoinder  showed  the  teacher  that  it  was  with  the 
A,  B,  C,  of  the  gospel  that  he  must  begin  to  instruct  those 
little  heathen,  and  he  wrote  to  us  for  books  and  pictures  to 
help  him  in  these  difficult  beginnings,  and  now  the  work  is 
going  forward  with  steadily  growing  success  and  rejoicing 
results. 

235 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

Our  next  visit  takes  us  into  the  picturesque  and  wooded 
country  on  the  canal  joining  the  Loire  and  the  Seine,  famous 
by  the  forest  of  Fontainebleu.  In  the  little  old-fashioned 
town  of  Nemours,  belonging  in  the  i6th  century  to  the 
fanatical  family  of  the  Guises,  Henri  III.  signed  in  1579, 
the  Edit  de  Nemours,  an  edict  suppressing  all  the  liberties 
granted  some  years  before  to  the  Huguenots.  During  four 
centuries  Nemours  remained  a  fortress  of  the  most  bigoted 
Catholicism,  until  an  extraordinary  event  astonished  and 
stirred  the  quiet  population  of  this  sleepy  Httle  place.  It 
was  the  arrival  of  the  missionary  boat  called  La  Bonne 
Nouvelle  (Good  News),  belonging  to  the  McAll  mission. 
The  meetings  were  crowded,  and  the  cry  for  further  teaching 
so  imperative  that  the  deserted  convent  of  a  suppressed 
community  had  to  be  secured,  and  regular  services  and  a 
Sunday-school  estabUshed.  The  Sunday-school  is  supple- 
mented by  a  Thursday  class.  The  little  tots  write  on  their 
slates,  while  the  elder  ones  sew  and  draw.  One  little 
darhng  had  copied,  "I  love  father,  I  love  mother."  "  Now 
I  want  to  write,  'I  love  Jesus,'"  she  said,  and  how  pleased 
the  teacher  was  to  see  the  increased  pains  the  child  took  to 
write  with  beautifully  formed  letters  her  humble  confession 
of  faith.  Alas  for  the  day-schools  when  the  writing  lesson 
is  sometimes  used  to  instil  infidelity  in  young  minds.  A  few 
weeks  ago  a  school  board  teacher  wrote  this  sentence  on  the 
blackboard  as  a  copy  for  the  writing  lesson:  "There  is  no 
God,"  one  Httle  Sunday-school  pupil  alone  protesting 
against  this  violation  of  his  conscience.  These  examples 
show  how  our  French  Sunday-school  society  co-operated 
with  Reformed  pastor,  the  Baptist  evangelist,  the  McAll 
missionary,  and  others.  Sunday-schools  make  for  union 
in  France.  Great  gatherings  hke  the  one  that  from  all  parts 
of  the  earth  brings  us  to  this  Forum,  are  a  proof  that  the 
Sunday-school  is  a  stepping-stone  toward  the  unity  of  the 
Christian  world.  Let  us  all  work  and  pray  and  hope  for 
the  day  of  the  edifying  of  the  body  of  Christ,  till  we  all  come 

236 


France 

in  the  unity  of  the  faith  unto  the  measure  of  the  stature  of 
the  fulness  of  Christ.     Amen. 

Madame  Bieler: 

The  children  who  hved  from  the  epoch  of  the  Reformation 
to  the  day  of  the  repeal  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes  were  privi- 
leged in  many  ways.  Their  parents  were  clever  artisans, 
rich  merchants,  honored  magistrates,  or  among  the  best 
nobility  of  the  land.  Their  religious  instruction  was 
received  at  their  mothers'  knee,  at  the  solemn  fam.ily  pr-^-vers, 
and  in  the  celebrated  Huguenot  colleges,  where  they  learned 
the  Catechism,  read  the  Holy  Scriptures,  sang  the  Psalms, 
and  studied  the  classics  and  the  science  of  the  time  under 
high-minded  and  learned  masters.  Thus,  through  more 
than  a  century  of  executions,  massacres  and  religious  wars, 
the  Huguenot  homestead  was  generally  respected.  The 
souls  of  the  children  were  molded  by  the  noble  exam.ples 
of  their  elders,  and  were  finely  developed  by  the  relative 
quiet  of  their  home  life. 

The  repeal  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes,  in  1685,  marked  the 
end  of  this  comparatively  peaceful  period,  and  began  the 
story  of  a  century  of  untold  suffering.  For  fear  of  the 
king's  soldiers  the  family  now  sang  its  evening  Psalm  in  an 
undertone,  the  father  trembhngly  opened  the  Bible,  the 
children  spelt  their  lessons  to  each  other,  and  regretted  the 
long  holiday  caused  by  the  closing  of  their  famous  schools. 
Whenever  they  bad  an  opportunity,  little  groups  of  young 
and  old  hurried,  with  stealthy  steps,  to  some  secluded  spot 
amongst  the  hills  to  hear  their  heroic  pastors  preach.  These 
weeks  and  years  of  agony  were  generally  ended  by  a  sudden 
irruption  of  the  coarse  and  cruel  soldiery.  If  the  parents 
refused  to  abjure  their  faith,  the  father  w^as  sent  to  the  galleys, 
the  mother  imprisoned,  and  the  children  were  shut  up  in 
a  convent.  Thousands  of  famihes  managed  to  flee  and 
take  refuge  in  Holland,  Switzerland,  England,  or  farther 
still.  Many  boys  and  girls  died  under  the  cruel  treatm.ent 
inflicted  by  monks  and  nuns;  the  greater  number  had  no 

237 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

alternative  but  to  submit  and  to  renounce  the  faith  of  their 
fathers.  Such  was  the  fate  of  Huguenot  children  until  the 
great  Revolution  ruthlessly  avenged  the  wrongs  of  the 
oppressed. 

The  Protestant  child  at  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth 
century  w^as,  alas!  too  often  a  Protestant  only  in  name. 
The  church  to  which  he  belonged  had  been  nearly  annihilated 
by  long  years  of  persecution  and  by  a  still  greater  calamity — 
the  cold  blasts  of  unbeHef  and  formalism,  at  that  time 
blowing  all  over  Europe.  Boys  and  girls  were  far  more 
interested  by  the  victories  of  Napoleon  than  by  anything 
appertaining  to  religious  affairs. 

At  last  the  revival  of  1825  brought  the  much-needed 
refreshment  to  young  and  old.  Amongst  its  many  good 
results  it  spread  and  developed  the  Sunday-school,  an 
institution  already  imported  from  England  into  some  country 
parishes  as  early  as  1814.  In  1852  there  were  two  hundred 
schools  in  France,  but  the  movement  needed  a  central 
agency  and  an  enterprising  head  to  realize  its  full  mission. 

The  need  made  the  man.  Paul  Cook's  Enghsh  and 
French  ancestry  had  given  him  the  quahties  of  both  races. 
At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  was  the  admirable  superintendent 
of  his  father's  Sunday-school.  At  the  age  of  twenty-two 
he  insisted  on  starting  a  Sunday-school  magazine.  "Two 
hundred  copies  would  be  quite  enough  to  begin  with," 
suggested  the  timid  printer.  ''Here  is  a  list  of  my  first 
five  hundred  subscribers,"  was  the  enterprising  young 
journalist's  rejoinder.  Several  thousand  copies  of  the 
magazine  are  now  issued  monthly  under  the  name  of  the 
"Journal  des  Ecoles  du  Dimanche  de  France."  Paul 
Cook's  next  achievement  was  the  formation  of  the  Sunday- 
school  Society,  in  1852.  He  became  its  first  ardent  and 
successful  missionary  agent. 

Now,  after  the  labors  of  eight  successive  agents  during 
sixty  years,  the  Sunday-school  Society  helps  about  1,200 
schools,  7,000  teachers,  and  67,000  scholars  by  its  informa- 

238 


France 

tion  bureau,  its  publications,  the  visits  of  its  missionary 
agents,  its  lectures  and  normal  classes.  Its  chief  charac- 
teristic is  its  undenominationalism,  uniting  as  it  does  the 
five  principal  Protestant  denominations  working  in  France. 
The  children  of  the  Reformed,  Lutheran,  Free,  Methodist 
and  Baptist  Churches,  with  a  few  exceptions,  study  the  same 
National  List  of  Lessons,  read  the  same  leaflets,  and  sing 
from  the  same  hymn-book. 

Our  Sunday-schools  are  organized  very  much  as  they  are 
in  England  and  America.  They  are  open  generally  between 
9  and  lo  A.  M.,  before  the  morning  service.  The  children 
are  taught  in  classes,  the  pastor — who  in  most  cases  acts  as 
superintendent — closing  with  a  general  address.  The 
formation  and  equipment  of  separate  Infant  Classes  is  an 
encouraging  advance  in  recent  years.  The  number  of 
scholars  in  one  school  varies  from  ten  or  twelve  pupils  in 
thinly-populated  country  districts,  to  seven  hundred,  as  in 
the  Reformed  Church  of  Nimes. 

The  Sunday-school  is  supplemented  by  a  week-day 
session,  held  on  Thursday,  which  is  the  school  holiday. 
When  poor  children  form  a  majority  they  are  kept  after  the 
Bible  Class,  for  needlework  and  other  manual  occupations, 
singing  and  games. 

These  interesting  Thursday  classes,  to  which  it  is  easy  to 
attract  many  Roman  Catholic  children,  are  one  of  the  most 
important  factors  in  the  evangelization  of  our  French  youth. 
The  religious  teaching  given  on  Sundays  and  Thursdays  is 
completed  by  a  course  of  preparation  for  Confirmation, 
which  is  given  once  or  twice  a  week  during  two  successive 
winters  by  the  pastor.  It  is  a  comprehensive  study  of 
Christian  dogmatics  and  ethics,  which,  with  God's  blessing, 
often  marks  a  turning-point  in  the  religious  career  of  our 
children. 

Sunday-school  work  is  a  labor  of  faith,  and  it  is  in  the 
natural  course  of  things  that  the  harvest  should  not  come 
immediately  after  sowing-time.     But  the   seed   does  bear 

239 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

fruit  in  its  turn,  thank  God.  The  Sunday-school  is  often 
the  nucleus  of  missionary  effort  and  Protestant  extension. 

In  the  village  of  Beurlay  (Charente-Inferieure)  there  were 
no  Protestants  twenty  years  ago,  but  the  doctor's  wife  was 
a  believer,  and  her  daughter  an  earnest  Christian.  This 
young  lady  began  to  gather  in  her  home  the  neighboring 
youngsters  for  a  short  Bible  lesson.  The  children  told  those 
at  home  of  the  teaching  they  received  and  of  the  hymns  they 
sang.  The  mothers  begged  admittance,  and,  in  their  turn, 
the  fathers  declared  they  must  also  hear  something  of  the 
"new  religion." 

A  pastor  was  sent  from  Bordeaux;  his  meetings  were 
crowded,  money  was  collected,  a  chapel  built,  an  ardent 
young  missionary  installed,  and  now  this  village  forms  the 
center  of  one  of  the  most  promising  evangelistic  efforts  in 
France.  And  what  a  pretty  sight  is  a  village  Sunday- 
school  in  those  provinces  where  the  national  costume  has 
resisted  the  spreading  tide  of  modern  ugliness!  The  boys 
in  their  blue  blouses  and  white,  clattering  sabots,  the  girls 
in  their  pretty  white  caps,  with  stiff  embroidered  wings, 
making  theee  children's  meetings  resemble  a  field  of  daffodils 
and  forget-me-nots! 

The  Sunday-school  has  to  contend  with  many  difficulties, 
the  chief  of  which  is  the  spirit  of  atheism  pervading  the 
community,  and  asserting  itself  more  and  more  in  the  day- 
school.  A  teacher  recently  wrote  on  the  blackboard, 
"There  is  no  God,"  as  a  copy  for  the  writing  lesson.  One 
little  Protestant  Sunday-school  pupil  alone  protested  against 
this  violation  of  his  conscience.  Let  us  turn  now  to  the 
Nemours  Mission  Thursday  Class.  The  smaller  children 
write,  while  the  elder  ones  sew  and  draw.  One  child  has 
copied  "I  love  father,  I  love  mother."  "Now"  she  said 
"I  want  to  write  'I  love  Jesus'"  and  delights  the  teacher 
with  the  pains  she  takes  to  write,  with  carefully  formed 
letters,  her  confession  of  faith. 

If  space  permitted,  I  could  take  you  into  one  of  our  large 
240 


France 

hospitals,  to  the  bedside  of  a  young  man  who  seemed  a 
hardened  sinner,  but  who  suddenly  breaks  down  when  he 
hears  a  familiar  Sunday-school  hymn,  and  dies  peacefully, 
repeating  old  texts  and  sacred  songs,  which  come  back  to  his 
memory  with  extraordinary  accuracy.  I  could  take  you  to 
the  black  North,  where  Sunday-school  pupils  have  organized 
themselves  into  a  '' missionary  band,"  with  the  object  of 
recruiting  new  pupils;  or  among  the  Tonkin  hills,  whither 
a  French  family  has  emigrated,  and  a  little  girl  is  found 
giving  Sunday-school  lessons  to  her  little  brothers  and 
sisters  with  the  books  and  papers  carefully  brought  from  the 
class  in  the  old  country. 

But  I  must  close,  with  one  more  example  only  of  the 
reahty  of  Sunday-school  results. 

The  scene  is  the  Children's  Service  in  the  Mission  carried 
on  by  our  President,  Pastor  Lorriaux,  in  the  very  poor 
suburb  of  Clichy.  A  foreign  missionary  had  come  to  speak. 
One  little  girl  had  received  from  her  father,  who  was  a  rag- 
picker, a  doll  found  amongst  the  rubbish  from  a  wealthy 
mansion.  The  child,  who  never  parted  from  her  precious 
treasure,  listened  with  rapt  attention  to  the  missionary's 
words — now  and  then,  however,  giving  a  furtive  kiss  to  her 
darling. 

When  the  appeal  for  sacrifice  for  the  missionary  cause 
came,  she  gazed  a  long  time  at  her  doll,  and,  after  a 
moment's  hesitation,  gave  it  a  fond  embrace,  and  carried 
it,  with  a  bright  smile  and  tears  in  her  eyes,  to  the  desk, 
asking  that  her  only  earthly  treasure  should  be  sent  to 
a  Httle  African  convert. 

But  the  individual  calls  are  not  enough.  It  is  right  that 
we  should  inquire  into  this  question:  ''When  French 
Sunday-school  children  grow  up  are  they  a  tangible  form 
of  righteousness  in  the  nation?" 

To  this  question  a  superficial  English  traveler  answered 
an  emphatic  "No"  in  one  of  the  best  London  religious 
papers  of  January  last.     After  an  unfortunate  stroll  through 

241 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

the  Paris  streets,  where  he  had  seen  much  of  the  frivolity 
of  the  boulevard,  and  no  visible  signs  of  aggressive  Christian- 
ity, he  wrote:  "French  Protestantism  is  dying.  French 
Protestantism  is  dead."  To  this  desperate  toll  of  a  death- 
knell,  with  lifted  heads  and  thankful  hearts  we  answer: 
"French  Protestantism,  notwithstanding  all  its  failures,  is 
not  only  alive,  but  at  the  head  of  nearly  all  the  social  and 
moral  progress  of  the  land." 

Who  were  the  first  women  whose  hearts  bled  at  the  sight 
of  the  poor  little  slum  children  of  our  great  sewers,  who 
never  got  a  breath  of  country  air:  two  Protestant  women 
Madames  De  Pressensse  and  Lorriaux,  the  latter,  wife  of 
our  Sunday-school  president,  sending  out  three  thousand 
children  for  a  holiday  in  the  fields  and  at  sea  every  summer. 

Who  were  the  first  men  to  dream  of  what  then  seemed  an 
impossibility — a  law  imposing  that  wonderful  blessing  of 
Sunday  rest  for  the  working  man,  woman,  and  child?  It 
was  a  Protestant,  Alexander  Lombard,  urging  the  Protest- 
ant politician,  Leon  Say,  to  frame  the  first  project  of  the 
law  which  came  into  force  a  few  months  ago,  and  which  has 
proved  such  a  blessing  to  our  nation  and  to  our  Sunday- 
schools. 

Who  sowxd  the  first  seed  of  those  vast  temperance  and 
abstinence  societies  which  stayed  the  tide  of  alcoholism  in 
our  country  ?  Who  are  the  promoters  and  most  courageous 
members  of  the  vigilance  societies,  who  try  to  cleanse  the 
awful  impurity  of  the  press  and  the  music  halls?  Evan- 
gehcal  Christians  again. 

And  when  the  Public  Labor  Minister,  Viviani,  declared 
in  December  last  at  the  Chambers  that  modern  and  trium- 
phant atheism  had  succeeded  in  extinguishing  forever  the 
lights  of  heaven,  who  sent  to  every  deputy  an  indignant  and 
eloquent  protest  in  the  name  of  insulted  Christianity? 
It  was  the  son  of  Pastor  Theodore  Monod. 

Last  week  Briand,  the  minister  of  Public  Instruction, 
answering  the  Protestant  member  for  Lyons,  and  alluding 

242 


Germany 

probably  to  the  courageous  stand  taken  by  his  opponent  in 
the  Dreyfus  case,  the  Madagascar  oppression  and  other 
pubHc  scandals,  said,  "Monsieur,  you  have  a  lofty  conscience 
and  it  is  full  of  severity  for  your  countr^'men."  There  was 
in  these  words  a  comphment  and  a  reproach,  but  it  remains 
that  Protestants  are  known  as  having  a  conscience.  This 
deputy  with  a  conscience  is  Francis  de  Pressensse,  a  former 
Sunday-school  boy  himself,  and  a  grandson  of  one  of  the 
first  pupils  in  the  first  Sunday-school  started  in  Paris  in 
1822,  in  the  grand  old  church  of  the  Oratorie  du  Louvre. 

The  Protestants  have  a  conscience,  and  if  this  conscience 
is  rightly  trained  at  the  mother's  knee,  by  the  father's 
example,  in  the  general  church  atmosphere,  it  is  also  formed, 
thank  God,  by  the  Sunday-school.  And  even  when  it 
happens  that  our  political  and  social  men,  when  grown  up, 
reject  the  faith  of  their  childhood,  the  straightforward,  the 
altruistic,  the  lofty  conscience,  trained  by  the  gospel,  remains, 
and,  never  quite  losing  its  flavor,  still  saves  the  nation  from 
corruption  and  acts  as  the  salt  of  the  earth. 

Dear  friends,  pray  for  us,  and  help  us  in  our  efforts  to 
multiply  in  France,  by  the  means  of  the  Sunday-school,  the 
number  of  men  and  women  with  a  lofty  conscience.     Amen. 

Germany 

By  Prof.  J.  G.  Fetzer  and  Pastor  Kaiser 

Professor  J.  G.  Fetzer: 

To  report  on  the  work  in  Germany  is  no  easy  matter,  for 
the  information  that  is  to  be  given  is  difi&cult  to  obtain, 
there  being  still  a  want  of  closer  organization  in  many  parts 
of  the  country.  In  the  first  place  it  will  be  necessary  to 
understand  that  there  is  a  difficulty  here  which  is  perhaps 
nowhere  else  so  manifest  as  it  is  in  Germany.  I  mean  the 
relation  of  the  State  churches  and  the  dissenting  churches 
to  each  other.  They  each  have  their  own  way  of  looking 
upon  Christian  work  that  is  to  be  done,  since  according  to 

243 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

the  one,  every  one  that  is  not  a  pagan  or  a  Jew  or  a  Mussul- 
man is  a  Christian,  and  according  to  the  others  all  that  are 
not  converted  and  hence  professing  Christians,  are  not  only 
to  be  taught  the  Bible,  but  are  to  be  led  to  accept  the  Saviour, 
Jesus  Christ,  as  their  Saviour.  From  this  viewpoint  the 
work  must  be  considered.  All  the  dissenting  churches  and 
some  bodies  connected  with  the  church,  work  and  pray  for 
the  conversion  of  the  scholars  attending,  while  probably 
the  majority  of  the  Sunday-schools  carried  on  under  the 
leadership  of  some  pastor,  start  with  the  idea  that  the 
children  that  are  gathering  in  their  Sunday-schools  are 
Christians.  This  erroneous  view  is  held  and  fostered  from 
generation  to  generation. 

From  this  it  will  be  seen  that  there  are  two  kinds  of 
Sunday-schools  in  Germany,  those  conducted  by  the  State 
churches,  and  those  conducted  by  the  dissenting  churches. 
The  former  can  be  divided  again  into  Sunday-schools  with 
the  class  system,  and  Sunday-schools  without  it.  The 
teachers  are  in  all  instances  voluntary  workers,  but  the 
schools  are  superintended  chiefly  by  the  pastors  in  both 
systems.  But,  as  the  pastors  alternate  in  conducting  the 
schools,  pastors  sometimes  of  adverse  theological  opinions, 
there  seems  to  be  a  feature  entering  the  schools  which 
cannot  be  conducive  of  the  best  results.  I  may,  however, 
say,  without  doing  injustice  to  any  one,  that  on  the  whole', 
the  teaching  force  is  better  here  than  in  the  Sunday-schools 
of  the  dissenting  churches,  for  in  many  schools  they  have 
among  their  teachers  some  not  unacquainted  with  school 
pedagogy,  trained  teachers,  with  a  thorough  preparation  for 
their  work. 

As  far  as  I  know,  the  free  churches  of  Germany  are  all 
engaged  in  Sunday-school  work,  and  have  been  so  from  the 
very  origin  of  their  work,  in  1834.  In  fact,  the  oldest 
Sunday-school  in  Germany  was  organized  by  Pastor 
Rautenberg  in  Hamburg  in  1826,  and  had  as  its  principal 
worker  J.  G.  Oucken,  a  German,  converted  in  England  and 

244 


Germany 

sent  to  Germany  in  December,  1823,  as  missionary  ot  the 
"Continental  Society"  organized  in  London,  in  1819. 
While  in  England  this  German  had  become  acquainted 
with  the  English  Sunday-school  and  convinced  of  the 
blessings  it  conveyed.  The  Sunday-school  Union  gave 
him  a  grant  of  ;^io  with  which  to  start  a  Sunday-school  in 
Hamburg.  In  this  endeavor  Pastor  Rautenberg  supported 
him  and  thus  the  work  was  begun  in  1826.  This  work  was, 
however,  never  without  opposition.  Even  now^  the  opposi- 
tion has  not  entirely  disappeared.  The  parish  clergyman, 
assisted  effectually  by  the  village  school-teacher,  has  more 
than  once  prevented  a  school  from  being  started,  and  such 
as  had  been  started  had  to  be  closed,  for  want  of  scholars, 
they  having  been  forbidden  by  the  teacher  to  go  to  a  Sunday- 
school  of  a  sect.  In  cities  and  larger  towns  the  influence  of 
the  day-school  teacher  does  not  amount  to  much  in  this 
respect.  These  are  in  many  instances  men  not  in  the  least 
religiously  inclined.  But  here,  too,  other  influences  exert 
themselves,  through  which  children  are  kept  from  attending 
the  schools. 

One  other  drawback  is  that  generally  the  children  leave 
the  Sunday-schools  of  the  Dissenters,  when  they  are  not  the 
children  of  Dissenters,  at  the  age  of  twelve  or  thirteen,  in 
order  to  go  to  the  clergyman  of  the  parish  to  be  pre- 
pared for  the  rite  of  Confirmation.  Bible  classes  as  you 
have  them  in  England  and  America  are  found  only  here 
and  there.  As  a  general  thing,  children  when  they  have 
been  dismissed  from  the  public  schools,  leave  Sunday- 
school  also.  This  is  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  idea  is 
prevalent  that  with  the  fourteenth  year  the  general  edu- 
cation is,  as  a  rule,  finished.  Then  boys  are  apprenticed 
to  learn  a  trade  or  enter  upon  some  other  calling  requiring 
a  special  education,  and  girls  enter  families  as  domestics  or 
go  into  factories  and  shops.  Moreover,  children  of  the  so- 
called  better  class  scarcely  ever  attend  Sunday-school.  This 
is  looked  upon  in  many  cases  as  being  only  something  for 

245 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

the  lower  classes.  If  the  former  would  interest  themselves 
more  in  this  kind  of  work,  there  is,  in  my  mind,  a  certainty 
that  Sunday-school  work  would  increase. 

Still  the  Sunday-schools  are  increasing,  in  the  State 
churches  as  well  as  in  the  free  churches,  though  many  find 
them  not  so  necessary  in  Germany  as,  for  instance,  in  the 
United  States.  This  is  due  to  the  difference  in  the  public 
school  system.  In  Germany  the  attendance  at  school  is 
compulsory,  and  religious  instruction  obligatory.  Thus. 
every  child  receives  a  certain  kind  of  religious  instruction. 
Sometimes  this  is  more  harmful  than  beneficial.  Still  it  is 
often  urged  as  a  reason  why  attendance  at  Sunday-school  is 
not  so  necessary.  In  very  many  instances  it  would  be  far 
better  if  no  such  instruction  were  given,  for  with  the  liberal 
and,  indeed,  unchristian  ideas,  they  alienate  the  children 
from  the  Church  rather  than  lead  them  into  the  Church. 
They  are,  therefore,  not  wanting  who  would  rather  see 
religious  teaching  banished  from  the  schools  than  have  it 
given  by  such  instructors. 

If  I  am  to  say  now  how  the  Sunday-schools  of  other 
countries  can  help  the  Sunday-school  work  in  Germany, 
as  Dr.  Bailey  has  requested  me  to  do,  I  am  at  a  loss  what  to 
say.  One  way  in  which  this  might  be  done  effectually,  is, 
what  the  Sunday-school  Union  has  been  doing  for  above 
twenty  years  now,  by  appointing  and  aiding  enthusiastic 
Sunday-school  missionaries.  The  Union  has  assisted  in 
supporting  one  for  the  dissenting  churches;  what  it  has  done 
for  the  State  churches  I  have  not  been  able  to  find  out.  The 
only  publication  available  was  that  of  Dr.  Dalton  and  he 
gives  no  information  upon  this  point.  But  I  presume  that 
no  missionary  was  supported  for  them.  What  is  this  one 
missionary  for  the  sixty  millions  of  people?  Four  instead 
of  one  would  be  none  too  many.  These  would  have  to  be 
supported,  however,  entirely  by  the  Sunday-schools  in 
England  and  America,  since  the  persons  found  in  our 
churches  and  who  labor  in  the  Sunday-schools  are  usually 

246 


Germany 

not  rich  in  this  world's  goods  and  would  be  entirely  unable 
to  raise  the  salary  of  a  missionary.  It  would,  indeed  have 
been  impossible  to  maintain  the  one  had  not  the  Sunday 
School  Union  so  nobly  and  effectually  assisted  the  Free 
Church  Sunday-school  Union  of  Germany. 

One  thing  I  am  certain  could  be  done  with  very  little  or 
no  expense,  namely,  to  visit  these  schools  occasionally. 
Our  English  and  x\merican  friends  often  come  to  Europe, 
but  it  is  rarely  that  one  enters  a  small  Sunday-school  held  in 
some  hidden  or  out  of  the  way  place.  If  those  who  are 
enthusiastic  Sunday-school  workers  when  at  home  v/ould 
inquire  for  Sunday-schools  and  then  visit  them  when  abroad, 
they  would  do  much  to  encourage  those  working  in  them. 
Brethren  and  sisters,  Sunday-school  workers,  there  are 
Sunday-schools  now  in  most  towns  and  cities.  Inquire 
for  them.  You  will  certainly  find  some  one  able  to  give  you 
the  information  you  want  concerning  them  and  then  visit 
them,  encourage  them,  though  the  school  may  be  small, 
and  you  will  have  done  something  to  help  the  work  in 
Germany. 

If  assistance  could  be  rendered  in  preparing  the  Sunday- 
school  force  and  better  qualifying  them  for  their  work,  it 
would  help  to  further  the  cause.  Sunday-school  Institutes 
held  in  various  parts  of  Germany  would  be  beneficial  and 
conducive  of  good  results.  But  these  are  expensive,  not  so 
much  by  what  is  paid  to  the  instructors,  for  this  is  indeed 
a  very  paltry  sum,  but  those  attending  them,  or  who  should 
attend  them,  cannot  afford  to  spend  a  week  or  two  in  attend- 
ing a  Sunday-school  Institute  and  pay  for  their  living  while 
they  at  the  same  time  lose  their  wages.  If  something  could 
be  done  by  way  of  substantial,  regular  and  steady  help, 
something  would  be  done  to  make  the  average  teachers 
better  equipped  for  their  work. 
Pastor  Kaiser: 

I  am  grateful  to  the  Lord  that  I  found  time  and  occasion 
for  taking  part  in  this  large  Sunday   School  World  Con- 

247 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

vention;  as  I  saw  the  delegates  of  the  various  countries  and 
lands  yesterday,  gathered  together  in  peace  and  harmony 
before  my  spiritual  eyes  the  elders  in  the  book  of  the  Reve- 
lation were  standing,  as  they  sing  the  new  song  praising  the 
Lamb  that  was  slain  among  the  redeemed  out  of  every  kin- 
dred and  tongue  and  people  and  nation.  What  a  wonderful 
moment  it  will  be  when  all  people  of  our  Lord,  from  every 
part  of  the  world,  will  meet  in  the  new  Jerusalem  before  the 
throne  of  our  Heavenly  Father. 

We  in  Germany  have  also  to  offer  praise  for  what  the 
Lord  has  done  in  the  Sunday-school  work.  We  have  about 
8,000  Sunday-schools  with  about  1,000,000  children. 
During  the  last  two  years,  in  several  regions  of  our  country, 
we  have  had  spiritual  movements,  and  new  schools  have 
been  established  and  many  old  schools  have  increased  in 
number,  and  multitudes  of  children  have  been  brought  to 
a  closer  communion  with  Jesus.  Many  of  our  Sunday- 
school  teachers  have  realized  that  they  need  more  power 
from  on  high,  and  a  greater  ability  for  teaching  and  training 
the  children;  and  many  are  making  good  progress  with 
regard  to  decided  Christianity,  and  in  studying  plans  and 
methods  for  better  teaching. 

In  comparison  with  the  large  countries,  the  big  towns  and 
manufacturing  places,  our  Sunday-school  work  is  still  small; 
much  remains  to  be  done;  our  Sunday-school  work  is  not 
on  the  same  scale  as  that  of  England  or  America;  there  are 
several  reasons  for  this: 

1.  We  began  later  with  our  Sunday-school  work  than 
the  English  and  the  Americans.  Sunday-schools  as  we 
have  them  now  were  established  about  eighty  years  ago. 

2.  The  free  churches,  the  Baptists  and  Methodists,  took 
up  the  work  at  first  and  pushed  it  on  where  they  could;  but 
they  met  many  difhculties  and  obstacles.  A  great  number 
of  pastors  and  learned  people  in  the  Evangelical  Church 
opposed  the  work  3.  Many  thought:  We  are  in  the  land 
of  Luther  and  of  the  Reformation;  and  Luther  has  shown 

248 


Germany 

us  how  to  teach  the  Bible  in  our  schools,  we  need  no  Sunday- 
schools;  others  said,  we  have  a  lot  of  great  men  philosophers, 
theologians,  doctors  and  teachers;  we  may  not  take  over 
arrangements  and  things  from  England  and  America;  we 
have  a  more  thorough  science  also  with  regard  to  the  Bible 
than  any  other  nation;  we  are  convinced  that  all  others  have 
to  learn  from  us  a  good  deal  more  than  we  have  to  learn 
from  them.  The  Sunday-school  work  is  a  foreign  plant,  not 
fit  for  the  German  ground  and  culture  and,  therefore,  we  do 
not  want  schools,  and  so  on. 

4.  Without  this  we  had  to  fight  with  indifferentism, 
superstition,  materialism,  and  wickedness  in  its  many 
forms  and  ways.  And  many  professors  and  teachers  at 
universities  and  schools  deny  the  foundation  truths  of 
Christianity,  laying  aside  much  of  the  Holy  Scripture  as  not 
inspired  words  of  God;  several  of  them  think  the  prophets, 
apostles,  and  even  Jesus  himself  had  been  narrow-minded 
men. 

5.  Further,  a  great  many  of  our  Sunday-school  workers 
are  not  as  fit  for  the  work  as  they  should  be;  they  need 
more  spiritual  power  and  greater  ability  to  teach  and 
influence  the  children.  Nevertheless,  the  work  is  getting 
on  in  our  land;  and  a  great  many  of  our  EvangeHcal  pastors 
have  done  all  that  they  could  in  order  to  push  on  the  work; 
and  they  have  had  much  success;  the  names  of  these  men 
are:  Prorknow,  Dalton,  Tismeyer,  Faulerk,  Count  Bern- 
storf,  and  others. 

The  Sunday-school  work  of  the  free  churches  has  been 
carried  on  with  much  zeal  and  energy;  as  their  field  was 
much  smaller  than  that  of  the  State  Church  and  as  they 
were  opposed  from  many  sides,  it  was  very  difficult  to  extend 
the  borders;  nevertheless,  they  succeeded  in  their  under- 
takings; they  have  about  2,000  Sunday-schools  and  100,000 
children. 

I  am  travelling  as  missionary  in  connection  with  the 
Sunday  School  Union  in  London,  and  a  German  committee. 

249 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

During  the  last  seven  years  I  visited  about  i,ooo  Sunday- 
schools  and  addressed  about  1,000,000  children  and  grown 
people  in  Sunday-schools,  conferences,  and  meetings.  My 
main  work  was  teacher-training.  The  subjects  I  dealt  with 
were:  the  Sunday-school  teacher,  what  he  should  be  and 
what  he  should  know.  The  child,  its  nature  and  inward 
development;  the  mental  and  moral  powers;  the  thinking, 
the  feehngs,  and  the  w^ill,  and  how  we  are  to  influence  the 
children  in  our  teaching  and  training;  and  thirdly,  the 
Bible;  how  we  are  to  deal  with  the  doctrinal  and  historical 
passages  of  the  Scriptures.  I  have  done  my  work  with 
weakness  and  faults,  but  I  trust  it  will  not  be  in  vain. 

Greece 

By  the  Rev.  Dr.  Demetrius  Kalopothakis 

After  all  the  stirring  reports  which  we  have  already  heard 
from  this  platform,  it  is  with  some  difl&dence  that  I  bring 
you  my  message  from  Greece.  The  Evangelical  cause  in 
Greece  is  but  small  and  slow  of  growth;  we  are  but  a  small 
outpost  as  compared  to  the  great  camps  of  the  Master's 
army  in  other  parts  of  the  world. 

Doubtless  there  are  some  here  to-day  who  visited  Athens, 
in  1904,  on  their  way  to  Jerusalem,  and  who  will  remember 
that  "upper  room"  opposite  the  Arch  of  Hadrian,  where 
they  saw  the  little  Sunday-school  gathering  and  addressed 
a  few  words  of  cheer  to  our  workers  and  our  children.  You 
will  be  glad  to  hear  that  since  then  another  Sunday-school 
has  been  started  in  another  part  of  the  town,  where  members 
of  our  congregation  gather  in  such  children  as  would  not 
set  foot  in  an  Evangelical  church;  and  this  mission  Sunday- 
school  has  nearly  double  the  number  of  scholars,  and  is 
steadily  growing. 

Probably  some  of  you  know  something  of  the  peculiar 
difficulties  of  gospel  work  in  Greece.  As  our  brother  from 
Belgium  said  yesterday,  in  speaking  of  his  own  land,  we  have 
to  deal  on  the  one  side  with  superstition,  and  on  the  other 

250 


Greece 

with  unbelief;  only  that,  whereas  in  Belgium  these  two 
extremes  clash  and  war  against  each  other,  in  Greece, 
curiously  enough,  they  co-operate  at  every  point  against  our 
efforts.  We  have  on  the  one  hand  great  spiritual  ignorance 
and  superstition  among  the  masses.  Then,  among  the 
educated  classes,  there  is  a  growing  current  of  infidelity,  the 
natural  reaction  of  the  alert  Greek  intellect  against  the 
fables  and  dead  ritual  into  which  the  Eastern  Church  has 
debased  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ.  And  strange  to  say, 
these  two  diametrically  opposite  extremes  have  a  common 
ground,  the  established  church,  known  as  the  Greek 
Orthodox,  or  Eastern  Church. 

The  latter  boasts  of  having  preserved  in  unbroken  con- 
tinuity not  only  the  apostolic  succession,  but  also  the 
traditions  of  the  Fathers  and  martyrs  and  world-synods 
from  the  earliest  ages  down.  That  is  perfectly  true,  in  one 
sense,  for  we  know  that  most  of  the  errors  which  conflict 
with  evangelical  belief  crept  into  the  Church  at  an  early 
period.  But  what  gives  the  Eastern  Church  its  strongest 
grip  upon  the  Greek  nation  of  to-day  is  the  fact  that,  by 
means  of  its  clergy  and  liturgy  and  monastic  establishments, 
this  Church  was  the  means  of  preserving  from  utter  exter- 
mination the  Greek  language  and  the  Greek  nationality. 
There  is  no  denying,  that,  but  for  the  Greek  Church  the 
waves  of  foreign  conquest  that  swept  in  unbroken  succession 
over  the  Greek  lands — Franks,  Saracens,  Venetians,  and 
Turks — the  Greek  race  and  tongue  would  have  disappeared 
entirely. 

This  it  is  which  makes  the  Greek  so  blindly  conservative 
as  regards  the  Church  of  his  fathers.  And  so  the  super- 
stitious Greek  says:  "  Our  Church  is  right  in  all  her  teaching, 
because  so  taught  also  Basil,  and  Chrysostom  and  Gregory 
and  John  of  Damascus  and  the  Ecumenical  Councils. 
Who  are  you,  who  would  set  up  your  wisdom  and  your 
interpretations  of  Scripture  against  such  august  authorities  ? 
And  on  the  other  hand  the  sceptic  says:  "All  these  things 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

are,  of  course,  fables;  the  Bible  itself  is  more  or  less  of  a  fable; 
but  so  long  as  we  are  to  have  a  Christian  Church  at  all,  we 
will  keep  to  the  old  Church,  such  as  it  is!"  And  both 
parties  agree  and  unite  in  making  it  exceedingly  hot  for  any 
one  who  comes  out  of  the  Church.  Religious  persecution 
is,  to  be  sure,  not  so  violent  as  it  was  a  quarter  of  a  century 
ago;  yet  it  is  only  fourteen  years  since  the  Evangelical 
Church  and  Sunday-school  at  the  Piraeus  was  mobbed  and 
wrecked  at  the  instigation  of  the  priests,  and  the  open 
avowal  of  the  evangehcal  faith  can  be  punished  in  so  many 
ways — moral  and  material — that  we  know  of  many  a 
Nicodemus,  who  comes  to  us  by  night,  but  dare  not  confess 
Christ  in  broad  dayHght.  We  could  have  all  the  Sunday- 
schools  we  could  man,  if  we  would  but  display  in  each 
schoolroom  the  picture  of  the  Virgin,  with  a  light  burning 
before  it,  and  make  pretense  of  teaching  a  few  sentences  out 
of  the  Greek  Orthodox  Catechism.  Some  years  ago,  we 
had  to  close  a  large  and  flourishing  mission  day-school,  to 
which  the  best  Athenian  families  gladly  sent  their  children, 
merely  because  of  the  strict  enforcement  of  this  requirement, 
which  is  not  a  mere  whim  of  popular  fanaticism,  but  a  law 
of  the  land.  And  it  is  a  sad  fact,  that  to-day  Greece  is  the 
only  country  in  the  world,  where  the  circulation  of  the 
Gospel  in  the  language  written  and  spoken  by  the  people, 
is  forbidden  by  Church  and  State!  This  monstrous  pro- 
hibition dates  only  five  years  back,  and  was  brought  about 
by  a  purely  pohtical  riot  in  Athens,  which  was  seized  upon 
by  the  Holy  Synod  of  Greece  as  a  favorable  opportunity  for 
forcing  the  State  to  adopt  their  own  traditional  hostihty  to 
the  modern  Greek  Bible.  And  I  beg  that  this  great  Con- 
vention will  not  break  up  without  recording  a  protest  against 
this  prohibition,  which  puts  Greece  into  such  "unsplendid 
isolation"  amongst  the  Christian  nations  of  the  world. 

Under  these  conditions,  you  will  not  think  it  strange  that 
our  work  is  so  seriously  handicapped  and  can  show  so  small 
results  as  yet.     We  have  five  churches  (of  the  Presbyterian 

252 


Greece 

order) — Athens,  Piraeus,  Volo,  Salonica  and  Jannina — each 
supporting  one  Sunday-school  (Athens,  as  I  said,  with  two). 
There  are  also  a  number  of  flourishing  Greek  Protestant 
churches  and  Sunday-schools  in  Turkey,  forming  a  union 
under  the  protectorate  of  the  American  Board;  and  I  regret 
that  by  an  oversight,  for  which  I  am  myself  partly  to  blame, 
they  are  not  represented  officially  at  this  Conference. 

We  also  publish  a  rehgious  weekly  paper — the  "Star  of 
the  East" — and  print  and  distribute  gratis  some  100,000 
tracts  and  leaflets  every  year  throughout  Greece  and  parts 
of  Turkey.  The  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society's  work 
is  a  valuable  asset  in  our  evangehstic  efforts.  Last  year 
twelve  colporteurs  in  Greece,  Epirus  and  Crete  sold  over 
13,000  copies  of  the  Scriptures,  mostly  to  the  public-school 
children;  and  the  work  done  by  these  men  in  personal, 
private  intercourse  among  the  masses  is  not  the  less  valuable 
for  not  showing  upon  paper. 

Yet  with  all  these  means  at  work  we  do  not  despair  of 
success;  and  we  solicit  your  earnest  prayers  for  the  evan- 
gelization of  the  Greeks.  For  it  is  not  only  in  Greece  that 
Greeks  are  to  be  found.  As  against  2,500,000  resident  in 
the  Kingdom  of  Greece,  there  are  6,000,000  Greeks  in  the 
Ottoman  Empire  and  Egypt,  while  there  are  now  many  tens 
of  thousands  in  the  United  States.  In  Massachusetts  alone, 
there  are  about  10,000;  in  New  York  5,000,  in  Chicago  6,000. 
Do  what  you  can  for  the  Greeks,  and  wherever  you  can.  It 
has  become  the  fashion  of  late  to  decry  them,  but  I  think  it 
is  an  admitted  fact  that  they  are  far  from  being  the  worst 
element  among  the  immigrants  into  the  United  States;  and 
certainly  in  the  Turkish  Empire  and  Egypt  they  are  the 
merchants,  doctors,  schoolmasters,  and  artisans,  in  almost 
every  community.  It  is,  therefore,  worth  the  trouble  to 
bring  home  the  simple  and  unadulterated  gospel  of  Christ 
to  the  Greeks. 

In  the  name  of  the  native  evangelical  churches  and 
Sunday-school,  of  Greece,  whose  delegate  I  am,  I  beg  to 

253 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

thank  your  Executive  Committee  for  having  invited  us  to  be 
here,  and  3^ou  for  giving  our  work  so  kind  a  hearing.  We 
pray  for  a  rich  blessing  upon  this  glorious  Convention,  and 
we  earnestly  sohcit  your  prayers  in  behalf  of  our  weak 
efforts  in  one  small  corner  of  the  Master's  vineyard! 

Note. — The  native  evangelical  movement  in  Greece 
was  started  by  Dr.  M.  D.  Kalopothakis,  who  was  himself 
a  pupil  of  Drs.  Leyburn  and  Houston,  American  mission- 
aries, and  of  Dr.  Jonas  King,  the  well-known  missionary  of 
the  American  Board.  In  1858,  he  started  a  small  Sunday- 
school  in  Athens,  and,  simultaneously,  a  religious  weekly, 
the  Star  of  the  East,  which  has  been  issued  ever  since. 

In  1 86 1  his  Sunday-school,  which  had  grown  to  a  con- 
siderable size,  was  mobbed  at  the  instigation  of  the  Greek 
hierarchs,  and,  notwithstanding  police  protection,  the  school 
never  recovered  its  former  enrolment.  In  1864,  when  Dr. 
King  discontinued  his  preaching  at  Athens,  Dr.  Kalopoth- 
akis and  another  disciple  of  Dr.  King's,  Mr.  George 
Constantine,  took  up  the  work  and  each  opened  regular 
preaching  services,  and  a  Sunday-school  in  connection  with 
either  service.  These  two  evangelistic  centers  formed  the 
link  between  the  former  missionary  efforts  and  the  full- 
fledged  Greek  Evangelical  Church  of  Athens,  which  was 
organized  in  187 1.  During  the  Cretan  Revolution  of 
1866-9,  Dr.  Kalopothakis  organized  four  large  Sunday- 
schools  for  the  children  of  the  Cretan  refugees,  who  fled  in 
thousands  to  Greece  to  escape  Turkish  oppression,  and  who 
were  quartered  in  Athens  for  nearly  three  years,  supported 
by  public  and  private  generosity.  When  these  refugees 
returned  to  their  native  island  in  1869,  the  Sunday-schools 
were  disbanded,  but  the  good  seed  sown  in  the  hearts  of 
those  hundreds  of  children  was  not  lost,  as  more  than  one 
token  has  proved  subsequently. 

The  native  Protestant  Churches  and  Sunday-schools  in 
Greece  from  1873  to  1885  were  connected  with  and  assisted 
by  the  Southern  Presbyterian  Church  of  the  United  States. 
254 


Great  Britain 

In  1886,  they  became  self-supporting  and  independent, 
forming  a  Synod  of  their  own.  To-day  four  out  of  these 
five  churches  have  church  buildings  of  their  own,  and  one 
step  toward  the  official  recognition  of  the  native  Protestant 
movement  by  the  Greek  Government  has  been  achieved  in 
the  exemption  of  these  buildings  from  taxation.  Dr. 
Kalopothakis,  in  spite  of  his  eighty-three  years,  is  still 
actively  engaged  in  the  work  so  dear  to  his  heart,  as  director 
of  the  whole  work  of  the  Synod,  though  he  has  resigned  the 
pastorate  of  the  Athens  Church,  and  the  preaching  services, 
into  younger  hands. 

The  evangeHcal  work  in  Greece,  as  embodied  in  preaching, 
publication,  and  Sunday-school,  is  being  carried  on  not  only 
in  the  face  of  great  opposition,  but  also  by  great  moral  and 
material  sacrifices  on  the  part  of  the  workers,  and  is  often 
seriously  hampered  for  want  of  money.  Funds  are  urgently 
needed  to  send  out  evangelists  and  to  found  churches  and 
Sunday-schools  in  that  land  of  racial  strife— Macedonia— 
where  there  are  many  scattered  disciples,  caUing  for  shep- 
herds. All  contributions  will  be  gratefully  received  and 
acknowledged  by  the  Reverend  M.  D.  Kalopothakis, 
Athens,  Greece. 


Great  Britain 

By  F.  F.  Belsey,  J.  P. 

Since  Jerusalem,  I  am  glad  to  be  able  to  inform  you  that 
I  think  the  Sunday-school  enterprise  in  our  country  may 
fairly  be  said  to  have  gone  on  growing.  I  may,  I  think, 
report  this  afternoon  that  if  you  were  to  sit  down  and  take 
the  statistics,  take  out  from  our  census  the  children  between 
five  and  fourteen,  and  deduct  from  these  the  children  of 
the  Catholic  element,  the  children  in  our  large  public  institu- 
tions not  attending  Sunday-school— if  you  were  to  take 
some  small  proportion  of  the  wealthy  upper  classes,  who, 
I  am  sorry  to  say,  to  a  large  extent  miss  the  advantages  of 

255 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

Sunday-school  teaching,  and  compare  those  numbers  with 
the  reported  number  of  scholars  in  the  various  schools  of 
our  different  denominations,  you  would  find  that  for  a 
longer  or  shorter  period  almost  every  English  boy  and  girl 
is  either  in  a  Sunday  or  a  ragged  school. 

Now  the  distressing  story  has  to  be  told,  that  while  our 
church  rolls  show  that  we  get  80  per  cent  of  our  church 
members  from  our  Sunday-schools,  at  the  critical  years  of 
life,  from  twelve  to  nineteen,  we  lose,  I  fear,  some  80  per  cent 
of  our  scholars.  They  drift  away  from  us.  As  you  psychol- 
ogists know,  those  are  the  most  important  years  of  young 
life,  the  character-forming  years.  Perhaps  you  have  heard 
already  that  80  per  cent  of  our  professing  Christians  to-day 
w^ere  led  to  a  decision  for  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  between 
those  years.  Those  are  the  years,  at  which,  I  am  sorry  to 
say,  in  Great  Britain  we  have  been  losing  80  per  cent  of 
our  young  people. 

We  have  for  some  time  past  been  earnestly  giving  our 
attention  to  two  ends  of  our  Sunday-school  work.  We  have 
been  doing  all  we  can  to  make  the  Primary  Department  the 
most  attractive  and  delightful  place  possible,  so  that  the 
memories  of  the  little  children  of  their  first  contact  with 
Christ  and  with  those  who  are  taught  of  Jesus,  might  be  bright 
and  beautiful  and  happy  right  through  life.  We  have  been 
very  much  indebted  to  our  good  friend,  Mr.  George  Archi- 
bald and  those  who  have  been  working  under  his  direction, 
for  a  very  great  advance  in  the  improvement  of  the  Primary 
Department.  I  think  I  am  saying  nothing  extreme  when  I 
say  that,  so  far  as  our  schools  are  concerned,  their  methods 
have  been  almost  revolutionized  through  this  work.  We 
have  specimen  schools  where  these  methods  may  be  seen. 

On  the  other  hand,  we  are  doing  all  we  possibly  can  to 
get  our  churches  to  wake  up  to  the  necessity  of  stopping  the 
awful  exodus  of  80  per  cent  of  our  young  people.  We  are 
trying  to  equip  our  Sunday-schools  w^ith  Bible  institutes, 
for  the  young  people  who  have  a  sense  of  their  own  growing 

256 


Great  Britain 

importance.  We  are  trying  to  establish  these  institutes 
where  due  regard  will  be  paid  to  their  altered  status,  where 
they  may  be  trained  in  Bible  knowledge.  And  I  am  very 
glad  to  say  this  institute  movement  is  rapidly  gaining  ground, 
and  very  many  of  our  pastors  and  deacons  of  our  churches 
are  beginning  to  see  that  unless  they  do  stop  this  terrible 
outgo  there  is  very  little  use  of  expecting  the  Christian 
forces  of  our  country  very  largely  to  increase. 

So  far  as  organized  work  goes  in  our  British  Sunday 
School  Union,  we  have  enrolled  some  2,250,000  scholars. 
There  are  about  7,000,000  altogether.  Many  of  those 
belong  to  the  special  unions  of  Established  Churches,  and 
others  have  not  as  yet  affiliated  themselves  with  us.  Special 
attention  has  been  given  by  our  Central  Union  to  the 
examination  of  these  scholars  in  the  International  Lessons. 
We  have  training  classes  established  in  many  parts  of  the 
country,  conducted  by  some  of  our  ablest  and  brightest 
ministers,  and  our  own  honored  friends  who  are  with  us 
are  at  the  head  of  large  classes.  And  through  the  country 
our  ministers  are  beginning  to  waken  up  to  the  importance 
of  doctors  doctorum,  the  teaching  of  teachers. 

We  have  a  large  literary  department.  We  are  sensible 
of  the  vast  importance  of  putting  into  the  hands  of  children 
the  most  suitable  books  we  can  get  for  them  to  read,  and 
we  have  a  very  large  publishing  department  at  Ludgate 
which  issues  20,000,000  publications  of  one  sort  and  another 
during  the  year.  We  issue  libraries,  and  so  provide  for  the 
very  crying  need  of  youth.  We  have  just  been  celebrating 
one  of  the  most  important  of  our  Associations,  the  Inter- 
national Bible  Reading  Association.  We  have  in  connection 
with  this  organization  950,000  members,  all  pledged  to  the 
daily  reading  of  the  Word  of  God,  and  to  the  daily  reading 
of  that  portion  of  the  Word  of  God  which  bears  on  the 
lesson  of  the  coming  Sunday.  We  have  received  from  all 
parts  of  the  world  voluntary  offerings  to  it,  a  well  deserved 
testimony  to  the   founder  of  this  excellent  organization, 

257 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

Mr.  Charles  Waters,  who  is  with  us  here  at  the  Worlds 
Convention. 

We  are  taking  up  with  as  much  energy  as  possible  those 
two  admirable  ideas  we  borrowed  from  the  American  side 
of  the  water — I  mean  the  Home  Department  and  the 
Cradle  Roll.  All  around,  the  country  folk  are  beginning 
to  see  the  immense  advantage  of  laying  hold  of  our  material 
from  the  ground  floor  before  it  can  enter  the  doors  of  the 
Sunday-school.  What  is  better,  I  find  that  the  Cradle  Roll 
is  the  golden  bridge  to  the  home  of  the  workingmen.  You 
touch  the  cord  of  sympathy  in  the  mother's  heart  and  she 
brings  the  husband  with  her. 

Then  we  have  a  series  of  lectures,  with  objects  of  interest. 
This  is  a  large  department  with  us,  and  these  materials 
are  used  all  around  the  country  for  the  instruction  and  in- 
formation of  our  young  people.  We  have'some  two  hundred 
and  fifty  local  unions.  We  are  continually  sending  down 
deputations  to  our  conferences  and  annual  meetings,  and 
in  this  way  are  trying  to  keep  alive  the  interest  in  the  w^ork 
of  the  Sunday-school. 

We  have  had  this  year  a  most  important  conference, 
attended  by  representatives  of  our  principal  colleges  and  of 
our  largest  denominations,  both  Established  Church  and 
non-Conformist.  That  conference  was  held  in  anticipation 
of  the  first  united  meeting  of  the  International  Lesson 
Committee,  to  be  held  in  London,  and  we  are  hoping  that 
as  an  outcome  of  that  meeting,  the  International  Lesson 
System  will  take  a  new  lease  of  life.  We  retain  the  services 
of  a  most  suitable  and  devoted  evangehst,  who  is  moving 
about  the  country  holding  mission  services.  His  work  is 
being  largely  blessed  of  God. 

It  is  our  joy  to  support  that  excellent  Continental  Mission, 
which  has  been  the  means  of  encouraging  our  dear  friends 
here  and  elsewhere  on  the  Continent  to  establish  Sunday- 
schools  in  so  many  languages  there.  We  are  organized 
in  everv  Province  in  India.     The  missionaries  are  working 


Hungary 

splendidly  with  us,  and  we  have  between  three  and  four 
hundred  thousand  children  gathered  into  the  schools  in 
India.  I  may  say  that  we  are  giving  attention  to  the  build- 
ings of  our  schools,  and  we  have  found  an  architect  who 
will  give  counsel  to  our  friends  in  the  country  as  to  the  best 
kind  of  buildings  to  put  up  for  their  money.  We  make 
loans  without  interest  to  the  Sunday-schools,  and  in  this 
may  we  encourage  the  provision  of  the  very  best  buildings 
for  our  Sunday-schools. 

We  maintain  holiday  homes  for  the  poor  children  in  the 
slums.  We  have  a  convalescent  home  for  our  sick  children, 
that  is  maintained  by  our  Sunday  School  Union  and  our 
friends,  and  in  that  home  we  nurse  back  to  health  many  a 
poor  little  invalid.  Then  we  are  finding  the  immense 
advantage  of  the  boys'  and  girls'  Life  Brigades.  We  are 
getting  in  the  older  lads  into  these  brigades.  They  wear 
caps  and  uniform,  but  carry  no  rifles.  We  are  an  army  of 
peace,  and  are  not  going  to  put  weapons  of  destruction  into 
the  hands  of  our  boys.  They  learn  the  fire  brigade  drill 
and  the  ambulance  drill,  to  save  people  from  drowning,  etc. 
Then  the  girls  have  brigades  on  similar  lines  to  do  similar 
work.  We  teach  them  nursing,  music,  elocution — anything 
that  will  make  a  girl  a  bright  ornament  in  the  home  in 
which  she  lives,  and  we  are  seeking  in  this  way  to  keep  hold 
of  our  older  scholars. 

May  w^e  have  your  prayers  that  in  the  old  land  of  Robert 
Raikes  the  Sunday-school  may  be  a  powder  for  good,  and 
may  become  truly  the  nursery  of  the  Church. 

Hungary 

By  the  Rev.  Gyula  Forgacs 

The  Sunday-school  is  beginning  to  play  a  very  important 
part  in  the  new  period  of  Hungarian  Protestant  Church 
life.  The  Church  without  doubt  is  awakening,  and  feeling 
more  and  more  the  great  responsibility  of  being  a  witness- 
bearer  to  the  Lord  Jesus. 

259  .      .    . 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

There  are  more  than  3,000  Protestant  congregations  in 
Hungary,  with  about  4,000,000  members.  This  enormous 
body — "a  sleeping  Hon,"  in  the  words  of  Dr.  Duncan, 
a  Scottish  missionary — includes  twenty  per  cent  of  the 
population. 

There  is  not  a  better  or  more  suitable  method  for  awak- 
ening a  church  than  winning  the  hearts  of  the  young  people; 
and  there  are  no  hearts  easier  to  capture  for  Christ  than 
those  of  the  children.  There  are  two  hundred  and  three 
Sunday-schools  in  Hungary,  a  very  small  figure  in  com- 
parison with  the  number  of  congregations.  I  feel  it  my 
duty  to  give  some  reasons  why  there  are  so  few  Sunday- 
schools  in  Hungary.  Of  course  there  are  difficulties. 
I  may  mention  three  of  them. 

I.  From  the  general  point  of  view  most  of  the  leaders 
of  congregations  regard  Sunday-school  work  as  an  unneces- 
sary thing,  seeing  that  by  law  every  child  in  Hungary  must 
receive  religious  instruction  in  the  day-school  from  a  catechist 
appointed  by  the  denomination  to  which  the  child  belongs. 
There  are  very  good  handbooks,  and  doubtless  this  way  of 
teaching  is  a  great  force  in  the  hand  of  the  denominations. 
This  arrangement  is  in  itself  a  good  one,  but  the  working  out 
of  other  laws  has  an  adverse  influence  upon  freedom  of 
action. 

For  example,  all  the  children  must  be  brought  up  in  the 
religion  of  the  parents;  boys  follow  the  father,  girls  the 
mother,  unless  a  prenuptial  arrangement  be  made  by  the 
contracting  parties,  that  all  the  children  will  follow  either 
the  father  or  the  mother,  which,  where  a  Roman  Catholic 
is  one  of  the  parties,  almost  always  ends  in  an  agreement  that 
all  the  children  be  Roman  Catholics.  It  requires  no 
argument  to  show  that  in  the  case  of  children  of  mixed 
marriages  this  works  adversely  against  Sunday-schools, 
especially  when  it  is  forbidden  that  any  one  pass  from  one 
denomination  to  another  between  the  ages  of  seven  and 
eighteen. 

260 


03    u 


Hungary 

II.  Another  hindrance  to  Sunday-school  work  is  the 
opposition  of  a  considerable  part  of  the  Protestant  ministers 
and  elders.  These  are  more  powerful  enemies  than  the 
above-mentioned  laws.  Many  of  them  oppose  this  work 
in  the  conviction  that  Sunday-schools,  as  foreign  institutions, 
develop  in  the  minds  of  children  a  kind  of  looseness  toward 
traditions  by  teaching  new  foreign  hymns,  and  are  taught 
by  men  and  women  who  are  not  trained  professionally  as 
theologians.  On  the  other  hand,  many  of  the  Reformed 
and  Lutheran  ministers  accuse  this  work  with  being  the 
open  door  for  sectarianism.  I  must  remark  that  Baptists, 
Nazarenes  and  Methodists  are  regarded  in  Hungary  as 
sectarians  in  many  religious  circles,  part  of  the  reason  for 
which  can  be  found  in  the  fact  that  many  look  at  things 
only  from  one  side,  and  notice,,  for  instance,  the  prosperous 
spreading  of  Baptists  at  places  where  traditional  churches 
are  entirely  lifeless,  and  are  not  willing  to  notice  the  striking 
brotherly  fellowship  which  exists  between  evangelical 
workers  of  all  denominations  at  places  where  there  is  an 
earnest  endeavor  on  both  sides  to  spread  the  kingdom  of 
God,  which  stands  above  all  dogmatical  differences. 

III.  The  greatest  difficulty  of  all  is  in  the  fact  that  there 
are  so  few  really  fitted  to  awaken  interest  in  Sunday-school 
work.  With  few  exceptions  those  who  teach  at  present  in 
Sunday-schools  did  not  have  the  benefit  of  them  in  their 
youth,  therefore,  the  most  are  only  beginners,  requiring 
encouragement,  training,  and  instruction  themselves. 

Now,  how  to  face  it?  It  is  the  unanimous  opinion  that 
what  we  need  is  a  traveling  secretary.  To  make  this  clear, 
allow  me  to  refer  briefly  to  the  development  of  Sunday-school 
work  in  Hungary. 

Some  seventy  years  ago,  Scottish  missionaries  settled  in 
the  capital  of  Hungary.  They  began  a  Sunday-school,  and 
by  their  agents  spread  the  idea  of  this  work  throughout  the 
country.  But  after  ten  years  their  work  was  stopped  by 
the  same  power  which  put  an  end  to  the  war  of  Hungarian 

261 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

independence.  They  left  Hungary.  After  ten  years' 
absence  they  could  return  again  and  resume  the  work.  The 
Sunday-school,  which  was  one  of  their  most  precious  efforts 
did  not  remain  within  the  walls  of  the  mission  building,  but 
found  new  places  in  Budapest  as  well  as  in  the  country. 
The  practical  result  of  the  influence  of  the  Scotch  Mission 
became  visible  at  the  time,  when,  twenty  years  ago,  a  process 
of  leavening  began  to  unite  many  believing  souls  in  several 
associations.  These  Evangelical  associations  established 
Sunday-schools  and  are  organizing  yearly  more  and  more. 

The  past  fifteen  years  present  such  a  rapid  progress  in 
every  kind  of  home  mission  work,  especially  Sunday-school 
work,  that  it  is  beyond  all  expectation.  The  following  are 
the  rates  of  increase:  In  three  years  Sunday-schools  have 
increased  by  seventy-two,  or  fifty-two  per  cent.  The 
number  of  scholars  has  increased  by  1,754,  or  forty-one  per 
cent.  The  number  of  teachers  has  increased  by  one  hundred 
and  sixty-seven,  or  forty  per  cent. 

There  are  thirty-three  Sunday-schools  in  Budapest  itself. 
The  teachers  come  together  every  two  months  for  mutual 
counsel  and  encouragement.  This  Sunday-school  associa- 
tion is  under  the  presidency  of  Mr.  John  Victor,  who  is 
known  to  our  London  friends.  This  association  arranges 
yearly  a  children's  demonstration  and  an  annual  gathering 
on  a  large  scale  with  the  purpose  of  drawing  together  all 
those  interested  in  Sunday-school  work.  This  Association 
and  its  work,  however,  does  not  stand  alone.  The  work, 
though  only  in  a  special  circle,  awakened  such  an  interest, 
that  on  the  first  of  June,  the  question  of  Sunday-school  work 
will  be  brought  before  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Hungarian 
Home  Mission  Association;  one  of  the  delegates  here, 
the  Reverend  Mr.  Takaro,  is  to  give  a  lecture  upon  this 
subject. 

All  these  achievements  guarantee  a  most  hopeful  future. 
But  there  are  some  other  factors  whose  help  has  proved  very 
valuable.     I   mean  our  friends  in   Great  Britain  and  in 

262 


Hungary 

America.  They  understand  that,  though  the  Hungarian 
Protestant  churches  are  large,  yet  they  cannot  do  active 
work  if  they  are  tied.  They  understand  that  Lazarus  was 
not  only  called  back  to  life  by  the  divine  Word,  but  the  bands 
were  also  loosed  by  human  hands.  The  marvelous  work 
of  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society,  the  National  Bible 
Society  of  Scotland  and  the  Religious  Tract  Society  (the 
work  of  the  two  latter  has  been  and  is  under  the  super- 
intendence of  the  Scotch  Mission  in  Budapest),  brought  the 
divine  call  to  all  parts  of  the  country  through  colporteurs. 
The  result  is  that  Lazarus  has  awakened  but  the  grave- 
bands  are  yet  keeping  the  huge  body  from  moving. 

Our  friends  have  helped  us  already  in  this  respect,  too. 
The  Sunday-schools  of  America,  the  London  Sunday  School 
Union  and  the  Children's  Special  Service  Mission  have, 
in  conjunction  with  the  Religious  Tract  Society,  published 
suitable  booklets,  as:  Angel's  Christmas,  Walking  in  the 
Light,  etc.  Much  more  might  be  done  by  pubhcations  of 
this  kind.  The  most  promising  fact,  however,  which 
certainly  will  be  the  source  of  a  new  start  is  the  connection 
which  exists  between  the  Scotch  Mission  in  Budapest  and 
the  London  and  American  friends.  During  the  past  few 
years  the  London  Sunday  School  Union  has  helped  us  wtih 
the  greatest  kindness,  and  has  grown  more  and  more  inter- 
ested in  our  troubles  and  difiiculties.  The  present  super- 
intendent of  the  Scotch  Mission  in  Budapest,  the  Reverend 
J.  T.  Webster,  keeps  up  this  connection,  and  no  Hun- 
garian would  be  so  able  to  keep  it  up.  I  am  sure  that 
the  intercourse  between  the  West  of  Europe  or  America  and 
our  country,  through  Mr.  Webster,  will  help  to  bring  things 
forward. 

Now,  if  there  are  so  many  tokens  of  a  good  beginning  and 
so  many  good  friends  standing  around  us,  delay  in  striking 
out  would  be  dangerous.  The  ground  has  been  prepared. 
In  different  parts  of  the  country  there  are  many  who  are 
desirous  of  starting  Sunday-schools  if  they  knew  how  to  do 

263 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

so,  and  all  the  while  there  are  the  children  to  consider  also, 
whose  hearts,  it  would  be  found,  as  in  other  countrieSj 
touched  by  the  spark  of  divine  truth,  would  begin  to  glow 
with  love  to  the  Lord  Jesus  if  they  were  brought  under 
Sunday-school  influences.  But  who  is  going  to  teach  those 
desirous  of  working  how  to  begin  ?  Who  is  going  to  organize 
Sunday-schools?  Who  is  going  to  carry  the  precious  seed 
out  into  the  country  districts  and  provincial  towns  of 
Hungary?  We  have  the  man,  I  mean  the  Reverend  Mr. 
G.  Takaro,  who  is  qualified  and  equipped  mentally  and 
spiritually,  saying:  "Here  I  am,  send  me!"  But  we  are 
poor,  and  although  willing  to  do  what  we  can,  we  have  not 
the  means  to  meet  the  expense  of  appointing  a  Sunday- 
school  missionary  or  a  traveling  secretary.  Wherefore, 
I  would  appeal  to  you,  brethren  of  the  West  especially, 
to  come  to  our  help,  so  that  this  great  and  only  bulwark  of 
Protestantism  in  the  East  of  Europe,  namely,  our  Hungarian 
Protestant  Church,  may  be  more  firmly  established  and 
enabled  to  extend  work  among  the  surrounding  Roman 
Catholic  populations.  We  should  need  about  £i6o  a  year 
to  enable  us  to  appoint  such  a  traveling  secretary.  The 
investment  would  be  good  and  the  gratitude  of  our  hearts 
would  be  great. 


Italy 

Prof.  Dr.  Cav.  Ernesto  Filippini 

Our  schools  are  more  than  three  hundred  and  fifty  in 
number;  our  superintendents  and  teachers  more  than 
1,500;  our  children  exceed  16,000;  and  I  can  affirm  with 
confidence  that  in  almost  every  one  of  those  composing  this 
glorious  army  of  Christ  we  have  an  enthusiastic  witness  to 
the  gospel. 

In  our  ''Italian  Sunday  School  Union,"  are  enrolled 
almost  all  the  forces  of  the  Sunday-schools.  All  the  churches 
that  are  laboring  in  Italy  have  during  these  last  years  given 

264 


Italy 

a  vigorous  development  to  their  Sunday-schools.  They 
have  more  than  ever  understood  that  their  future  depends 
upon  this  branch  of  their  activity,  and  the  Sunday-school 
is  becoming  more  and  more  a  fruitful  field  of  evangelization. 
More  than  half  the  children  are  from  Roman  Catholic 
families,  in  which,  by  the  mouths  of  the  little  ones,  by  our 
illustrated  leaflets,  by  our  journals,  pictures  and  portions 
of  the  New  Testament,  an  entrance  is  won  for  Jesus  and 
his  gospel.  And  the  children  not  only  receive;  they  give 
also  in  a  true  spiritjof  sacrifice.  The  National  Com- 
mittee gathers  nearly  i,ooo  francs  annually  from  the  pence 
of  the  children.  And  in  a  multitude  of  cases  their  pence 
and  half-pennies  and  farthings  are  so  much  bread  which 
the  little  ones  take  from  their  own  mouths  to  give  to  the 
Lord.  Nor  is  it  only  to  the  National  Committee  that  they 
contribute;  there  are  orphanages  and  other  similar  works 
of  charity  or  evangelization  that  appeal  to  our  schools,  and 
to  which  they  respond  with  their  mite  of  sacrifice.  At 
a  village  called  Schiavi,  in  the  Abruzzi  Mountains,  some 
children  were  reproved  for  selHng  a  few  chestnuts — their 
morning  meal — on  the  Lord's  day.  Their  reply  and 
excuse  was  that  unless  they  did  so  they  would  not  be  able 
to  take  their  coppers  to  the  Sunday-school.  Many  are  the 
mountain  villages  in  Alp  and  Apennine  in  which  the  children 
have  to  tramp  kilometers  through  the  snow,  that  they  may 
sing,  pray,  and  learn  of  Jesus;  yet  they  are  not  willing  to 
come  empty-handed. 

One  of  the  things  that  has  most  moved  me  in  my  rounds 
of  visitation  has  been  to  hear  the  httle  ones  themselves 
praying  in  the  schools.  Last  September,  at  Potenza,  I 
could  not  refrain  from  tears  at  the  simple  fervor  with  which 
a  nine-year-old  child  pleaded  with  the  Lord  for  himself  and 
his  dear  ones.  And  who  shall  say  how  many  families  have 
thus  already  been  won  for  Christ!  At  Florence,  in  the 
populous  quarter  of  S.  Frediano,  a  little  boy  repHed  to 
a  companion  who  ridiculed  him  because  he  was  an  Evan- 

265 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

gelico,  with  such  power  of  persuasion  as  to  induce  the  Kttle 
scorner  to  make  trial  of  the  school  on  his  own  account;  with 
the  result  that  the  new  scholar  became  himself  so  ardent 
an  evangelist  as  to  bring  with  him  very  shortly  his  brothers 
and  sisters,  and  in  the  end  father  and  mother  also  became 
members  of  the  church. 

But  our  work  has  often  to  advance  in  the  midst  of  terrible 
persecutions.  Sometimes  the  parents  yield  to  the  intimi- 
dations of  the  parish  priest  and  forbid  the  children  to 
attend  the  school  without,  however,  being  able  to  prevent 
these  from  studying  in  secret  their  Gospel  lesson. 

Excellent  auxiliaries  we  have  in  the  Societies  of  Christian 
Endeavor,  and  in  the  International  Bible  Reading  Asso- 
ciation, of  which  also  I  am  secretary.  Let  me,  however, 
call  your  attention  to  the  Albums  you  may  see  in  the  Hall 
of  the  Exhibition,  presented  by  the  Waldensian,  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  and  other  churches.  There  you  may  see 
many  of  the  bright  faces  of  our  dear  Italian  children, 
shining  in  response  to  the  love  you  have  lavished  upon 
them.  Again,  in  their  names  and  those  of  all  my  fellow- 
laborers,  I  tender  you  ardent  thanks  and  greetings. 


India 


By  Principal  Cotelingham 

Presenting  the  Report  of  the  Rev.  Richard  Burges,  Secretary  of  the 

India  Sunday  School  Union 

Last  night  we  had  the  pleasure  of  hearing  a  soul-stirring 
address  on  that  dark  continent  of  Africa.  I  have  no  doubt 
as  we  were  wending  our  ways  through  the  streets  of  this 
''Eternal  City"  Africa  seemed  to  all  of  us  a  heavy  burden 
laid  on  our  hearts.  We  all  felt  greatly  indebted  to  Bishop 
Hartzell  for  his  address  on  Africa.  I  am  no  Bishop,  but 
less  than  the  least  of  that  devoted  band  of  workers  who  are 
giving  their  lives  and  their  time  to  God's  service  in  India. 
I  would  ask  you,  therefore,  during  the  few  minutes  that  I 

266 


India 

have  the  pleasure  of  addressing  you,  to  think  less  of  the 
speaker  and  more  of  the  message  that  may  come  to  you 
from  this  far-off  land. 

I  do  not  wish  to  burden  you  with  statistics,  but  I  would 
just  place  before  you  a  few  prominent  figures,  so  that  you 
may  know  something  of  that  far-off  land,  India. 

It  is  1,766,600  square  miles  in  extent.  From  east  to  west 
it  is  2,500  miles,  and  2,000  miles  from  north  to  south.  It  is 
not  a  small  country.  I  do  not  call  it  a  country;  I  would  call 
it  a  continent,  for  there  are  one  hundred  and  eighty-five 
languages  spoken.  One  hundred  and  sixty-seven  are 
spoken  by  more  than  30,000,000  each.  There  are  300,000,- 
000  according  to  the  last  census;  nearly  one-fifth  of  the 
population  of  the  whole  globe.  A  little  over  200,000,000  of 
these  profess  Hinduism,  a  little  over  62,000,000  profess 
Muhammadanism.  There  are  more  Muhammadans,  fol- 
lowers of  Islam,  in  India  than  in  any  other  country  of  the 
world.  A  Httle  over  9,000,000  profess  Booddhism,  while 
there  are  only  3,000,000  professing  the  name  of  Christ;  of 
these  a  little  less  then  1,000,000  are  numbered  as  Protestant 
Christians.  If  we  would  let  the  people  of  India  pass  before 
us  one  by  one  a  second  at  a  time,  day  and  night,  it  would 
take  nine  years  for  all  these  people  to  march  past  us.  If 
you  would  let  the  children  of  India,  those  under  fourteen 
or  fifteen  years  of  age,  pass  before  you,  it  would  take  three 
years.  Our  present  strength  is  so  small,  our  accessions  to 
the  Sunday-school  so  small,  that  if  we  would  let  them  pass 
they  would  do  it  in  five  days  and  fifteen  hours.  Of  every 
five  children  born  into  the  world,  one  looks  into  the  face  of 
an  Indian  mother.  Of  every  four  children  in  the  British 
Empire  born  into  the  world,  three  look  into  the  face  of  an 
Indian  mother.  We  have  in  India  ten  thousand  times 
ten  thousand  (100,000,000)  children.  And  if  we  want  to 
have  that  great  land  of  ancient  and  hoary  centuries,  where 
people  of  culture  and  intellect,  people  belonging  to  the 
same  race  as  the  people  of  Great  Britain  and  America,  the 

267 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

Aryan  race,  if  we  wish  to  evangelize  that  vast  continent, 
it  must  be  through  the  children  of  India.  The  key  to  India 
is  the  childhood  of  India.  When  I  left  India  for  this 
Convention,  the  Rev.  Richard  Surges,  the  General  Secre- 
tary of  the  India  Sunday  School  Union,  placed  in  my  hands 
a  report  of  what  has  been  done  in  India,  from  which  I  will 
read  some  extracts. 

Air.  Burges^  report  here  follows  in  jull: 

Early  in  the  nineteenth  century  the  Danes  held  sway  over 
Serampore,  some  dozen  miles  above  Calcutta,  on  the  great 
river  Hooghly.  There  Carey,  Marshman  and  Ward,  the 
consecrated  cobbler,  school-master,  and  printer  respectively, 
conducted  translation,  educational  and  evangelistic  work 
for  their  generation.  In  those  early  days  of  British  power 
there  were  Student  Volunteers,  and  Sailed  Student  Volun- 
teers. They  were  missionaries  of  ''grit,  grace  and  gump- 
tion:" men  whose  labors  were  colossal. 

William  and  Felix  Carey,  sons  of  "William  Carey  the 
Great,"  and  their  mutual  friend,  John  Fernandez,  son  of  an 
indigo  planter,  had  heard  of  Robert  Raikes'  Sunday-schools 
in  Gloucester,  England.  They  pondered  every  scrap  of 
information  which  reached  them  by  irregular  ships  from 
the  home  lands.  They  discussed,  good-sized  school-boys 
though  they  were,  the  possibility  of  such  a  Sunday-school 
in  Serampore.  Forthwith  the  work  was  planned,  and  the 
plan  was  worked.  On  Sabbath,  July  9th,  1803,  they  planted 
the  first  seedling  of  a  Sunday-school  tree  in  India.  How 
much  we  would  prize,  if  such  could  be  found,  the  Sunday- 
school  register  of  those  thirty  Bengali  children,  who  formed 
the  front  line  of  larger  hosts. 

The  event  was  not  considered  to  be  of  any  consequence. 
In  the  Chronicles  of  Serampore's  important  happenings, 
drawn  up  by  Carey  himself,  we  do  not  find  the  event  on 
record.  William,  Fehx  and  John  did  not  realize,  nor  did 
their  worthy  sires,  the  far-reaching  consequences  of  their 
first  Sunday-school. 

268 


Ind 


la 


That  was  the  day  of  small  things.  Fully  20,000  unpaid 
workers  now  go  forth  each  Sunday  to  teach  the  Word  of 
God  in  15,000  schools,  and  the  instruction  is  given  in  at 
least  sixty  Indian  vernaculars.  The  tree  has  grown.  Its 
branches  cover  India,  Ceylon  and  Malaysia,  and  its  fruits 
are  for  the  healing  of  the  children. 

The  political  and  provincial  areas  of  India  are  about 
twenty-one  in  number,  which  areas  are  also  co-extensive 
with  the  auxiliaries  of  the  India  Sunday  School  Union. 
Each  of  these  self-governing  auxiliaries  is  managed  by  a 
representative  inter-denominational  committee,  which  en- 
deavors, in  a  variety  of  ways,  to  improve  and  increase 
Sunday-school  activity.  Some  of  the  Missionary  Societies 
have  denominational  Sunday  School  Unions,  which  are, 
to  their  praise  be  it  said,  often  more  effective  than  inter- 
denominational ones.  These  organizations,  provincial  and 
denominational,  are  bound  together  in  the  India  Sunday 
School  Union. 

The  Sunday-school  movement  in  India  has  gained  50,000 
members  per  annum  for  several  years  past.  The  figures 
for  the  last  twelve  years  show  an  increase  of  240  per  cent. 
The  full  membership,  as  far  as  can  be  ascertained,  is  324,278; 
but  hundreds  of  other  schools  exist,  the  statistics  of  which 
we  have  failed  to  obtain.  It  can  be  safely  said  that  the 
aggregate  Sunday-school  membership  in  India,  Ceylon, 
Burma,  (including  Penang  and  Singapore  districts)  is  half 
a  million.  These  figures  will  mean  little,  unless  imagination 
makes  each  unit  represent  a  precious  soul,  for  which  our 
Lord  gave  his  life-blood.  We  can  count  the  apples  on  the 
apple-tree,  but  we  cannot  count  the  apple-trees  in  the  apple. 
We  can  count  the  Sunday-schools  in  this  land  to-day,  but 
we  cannot  count  the  Sunday-schools  which  will  grow  out  of 
them  in  the  coming  years. 

The  Sunday-school  work  would  not  have  grown  so  strong 
and  well  had  there  not  been  diligent  officers.  First  and 
foremost    among    them    stands    Dr.  T.  J.  Scott,  now    in 

269 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

America,  through  whose  sleepless  activity  the  India  Sunday 
School  Union  was  founded  in  1876.  For  many  years  the 
work  had  prospered,  but  it  was  not  until  then  that  it  was 
thoroughly  organized.  About  forty  committees  now  look 
after  the  Unions  in  different  parts  of  the  field.  The  Central 
Committee  is  located  in  Jubbulpore,  the  ''hub"  of  the 
railway  systems,  and  its  representative  missionaries  and 
laymen  study  the  broad  interests  of  the  work.  This  Com- 
mittee, besides  stirring  up  the  auxiliaries  to  action,  is  also 
answerable  for  the  orderly  administration  of  business. 

His  Honor  the  Lieutenant-Governor  of  Bengal,  Sir 
Andrew  H.  L.  Fraser,  M.A.,  I.C.S.,  K.C.S.I.,  has,  to  the 
great  joy  of  our  Sunday-school  hosts  in  India  and  far  beyond 
it,  consented  to  become  the  President  of  the  India  Sunday 
School  Union.  That  a  highly  placed  official,  virtually  a 
king  over  70,000,000  of  people,  should  accept  such  an  office 
is  a  tribute  to  the  man  and  the  work.  The  India  Sunday 
School  Union-  has  the  rare  privilege  of  such  ex-Presidents 
as  Raja  Kunwar,  Sir  Harnam  Singh  Ahluwaha,  K.C.I.E., 
lately  decorated  by  His  Majesty  King  Edward;  the  Right 
Rev.  Bishop  Welldon,  lately  Metropolitan  of  all  India  and 
Ceylon,  and  others. 

The  writer  takes  his  place  as  General  Secretary.  In  the 
last  analysis  he  is  responsible  to  the  public  that  the  various 
Committees  are  constitutional  in  their  procedure.  He  has 
been  in  the  service  of  the  Sunday  School  Union,  London, 
since  1896,  which  organization  helps  the  India  Sunday 
School  Union  also  in  other  ways.  It  should  be  carefully 
noted  that  the  India  Sunday  School  Union  is  different  from 
nearly  all  other  agencies  in  the  non-Christian  world.  It  is  a 
separate  entity — an  Indian  and  independent  organization, 
and  is  supported  entirely  by  voluntary  contributions. 
Financial  help  is  welcomed  from  any  part  of  Christendom, 
and  India  herself  helps  to  the  best  of  her  ability. 

Let  some  of  the  methods  be  explained.  The  India 
Sunday  School  Union  exists — (i)  To  emphasize  the  spiritual 

270 


Indie 


la 


character  of  Sunday-school  teaching.  (2)  To  consoHdate 
and  extend  Sunday-school  work.  (3)  To  educate  teachers 
in  the  best  principles  and  methods  of  Bible  study  and 
teaching.  (4)  To  produce  and  foster  the  growth  of  English 
and  vernacular  literature  suitable  for  teachers  and  scholars. 

(5)  To  encourage  special  services  among  the  young  people. 

(6)  To  focus  the  attention  of  the  Christian  Church  upon  the 
child  as  her  most  valuable  asset.  (7)  To  unite  for  mutual 
help,  all  Sunday-schools  conducted  by  Protestant  Missions 
in  Southern  Asia. 

The  above  objects  are  promoted  by  various  means, 
chief  among  which  are — (i)  The  International  Bible 
Reading  Association  aims  to  establish  and  direct  daily 
Bible-reading  at  home  on  the  next  Sunday's  lesson.  The 
registered  membership  in  India  is  about  20,000  and  the 
readings  exist  in  thirteen  Indian  languages.  (2)  Of  the 
sixty  vernaculars  in  which  the  schools  are  conducted, 
twenty  have  biblical  expository  leaflets  on  the  current 
lessons.  Some  editions  are  for  teachers,  some  for  senior 
scholars,  some  for  the  "tots" — in  all  about  fifty  editions. 
To  maintain  the  expositions  at  a  high  standard  of  excellence, 
nearly  forty  editors  put  heart  and  brain  into  their  prepara- 
tion. To  feed  the  hungry  printer  with  ''copy,"  to  correct 
proofs,  to  go  to  press  in  time,  each  week,  all  the  year  round, 
means  more,  much  more,  nerve-fag  and  eye-strain  than  ten 
times  the  same  amount  of  editorial  work  in  Western  lands. 
For  the  honor  of  those  concerned  be  it  said  that  none  of  the 
editors  receive  any  renumeration  for  their  labors,  and  often, 
in  a  whole  year,  not  one  edition  is  issued  late.  Most  of  the 
editions  are  weekly — none  of  them  weakly.  This  fructifying 
stream  is  kept  flowing  by  individual,  denominational  and 
Sunday  School  Union  enterprise.  Almost  invariably  they 
are  sold  to  the  teachers  under  cost  price,  but  in  no  case 
given  free. 

The  offerings  of  the  children  toward  Sunday-school 
expenses  frequently  take  the  form  of  a  quota  of  grain  from 

271 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

each,  saved  from  the  daily  allowance — a  kind  of  perpetual 
self-denial.  It  is  an  inexpressibly  delightful  sight  to  watch 
the  little  Indian  children  receiving  their  colored  and  pictured 
leaflets.  Homes  inaccessible  to  the  most  experienced 
missionary  easily  surrender  to  a  Sunday-school  child  with 
the  message  of  Christ's  redeeming  love  on  his  lips,  and  a 
picture  leaflet  in  his  hand.  The  2,000  printing  presses  of 
India  issue  seven  hundred  newspapers,  and  most  of  them 
are  non-Christian  and  anti-government.  To  the  writer  it 
is  an  encouraging  thought  that  all  this  is  counteracted 
somewhat  by  the  Sunday-school  Scripture  expositions, 
explained  each  week  by  the  Hfe  and  the  lips  of  20,000  volun- 
tary teachers.  (3)  The  India  Sunday  School  Journal  is 
an  English  monthly  magazine  for  Bible  students  and 
Bible  teachers  in  Southern  Asia.  (4)  Teachers  and  scholars 
present  themselves  in  July  for  an  oral  or  written  annual 
examination,  on  the  work  of  the  previous  six  months. 
Last  year  answers  were  tendered  in  nineteen  languages  by 
over  16,000  candidates.  Since  1896,  no  less  than  58,000 
illuminated  and  graded  certificates  have  been  granted.  In 
the  same  period  of  time  over  83,000  candidates,  most  of 
them  non-Christian,  have  presented  themselves  for  this 
examination.  As  four-fifths  of  the  schools  use  the  Inter- 
national Syllabus,  an  examination  on  this  wide  scale  is  made 
possible.  (5)  A  beginning  has  been  made  in  the  matter  of 
teacher-training  by  the  formation  of  a  Correspondence 
College.  The  course  embraces  four  years'  study  of  the 
Bible,  Child  Psychology,  and  the  Science  and  Art  of  Teach- 
ing. Certificates  and  diplomas  are  granted  for  proficiency. 
The  scheme  gives  promise  of  fruitage.  (6)  Conventions  are 
occasionally  held  in  different  parts  of  the  Empire  at  which 
teachers  are  encouraged  in  the  study  of  the  more  important 
aspects  of  their  v/ork.  (7)  Missions  are  held  frequently 
for  young  people  and  are  chiefly  in  the  charge  of  W.  H. 
Stanes,  Esq.,  our  Honorary  Children's  Missioner.  (8)  A 
central  office  is  regularly  maintained  as  a  Bureau  of  Infor- 

272 


India 

mation  for  all  Sunday-school  workers  in  the  Empire.  From 
this  office  the  organizing  is  conducted — it  is  the  nerve  center 
of  the  whole  Sunday-school  system  of  Southern  Asia. 

In  a  paper  of  brief  compass  it  is  not  possible  to  do  more 
than  condense  the  facts.  Will  the  hearer  and  reader,  there- 
fore, ponder  the  great  significance  of  the  work  outlined. 
Without  ostentation  the  Sunday-school  teacher  is,  by  the 
salt  of  the  Word,  purifying  the  very  springs  of  Empire. 
Non-Christian  children  constitute  the  major  portion  of  the 
scholars,  and  who  can  tell  how  irresistibly  the  next  generation 
will  be  thus  influenced? 

The  Sunday  School  Union  of  India  binds  together  the 
Sunday-school  workers  of  sixty  out  of  the  seventy  existing 
missionary  societies,  in  a  Bible-teaching  and  character- 
building  crusade.  Children  under  fourteen  years  of  age 
are  the  special  charge  of  the  Sunday-school  teacher.  "Ten 
thousand  times  ten  thousand"  of  such  children  in  India 
await  the  entrance  of  his  Word. 

And  shall  we  not  lift  our  eyes  from  India's  center  to 
Asia?  Here,  on  Asiatic  soil  the  God-Man  lived;  here 
he  gathered  the  children  and  established  the  first  Christian 
Sunday-school;  here  he  crimsoned  the  path  he  trod  with 
sweat  and  blood;  here  his  Church  began  her  world-con- 
quering crusade.  And  yet  I  And  yet!!  And  yet!!!  After 
nineteen  centuries  have  spent  themselves  what  do  we  find? 
Listen — 


In  India  there  is  one  S. 

S. 

member  to  a  population  of       900 

"  Persia         "             " 

1450 

"  Siam 

6895 

"  China 

64469 

"  Japan        "             " 

"            "                "                  916 

"  Turkey  in  Asia       " 

561 

To-day,  Easter  Monday,  I  am  rejoicing  in  the  fact  of  a 
risen  Christ.  To-morrow,  at  sundown,  I  leave  my  wife 
and  bairns  in  this  plague-stricken  city,  for  China,  the  land 
of  Sinim.  India  herself  is  providing  the  means  for  this 
journey.     In  China  I  trust   I  may  be  of  some  service  to 

273 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

the  missionaries  in  the  formative  stage  of  a  Sunday-school 
Union  for  China  and  Manchuria.  The  opportunity  prom- 
ises to  be  opulent.  If  it  proves  to  be  so,  I  trust  the  choice 
Sunday-school  people  assembled  in  Rome,  when  this  paper 
is  read,  will  see  to  it  that  the  newly-organized  work  in  China 
is  maintained  in  a  state  of  health  and  activity.  More  than 
half  the  human  race  is  in  Asia.  Britain  has  one  Sunday- 
school  missionary  in  India,  and  America  one  in  Japan. 
This  is  all  that  Christendom  is  doing  for  half  the  children  on 
God's  great  and  beautiful  earth. 


Japan 

By  Frank  L.  Brown 

November  20,  1906,  I  left  San  Francisco  for  Japan, 
commissioned  by  the  Japan  Committee  of  the  World's 
Sunday  School  Committee  to  bring  to  the  Sunday-school 
workers  of  Japan,  Christian  greetings  from  their  fellow- 
workers  in  America,  study  the  Sunday-school  conditions 
prevailing,  assist  in  the  organization  of  a  Sunday-school 
Committee  or  Association,  if  the  time  were  propitious,  and 
to  report  results  to  this  Convention.  Accompanying  me 
were  the  prayers  of  many  earnest  workers,  who,  through  the 
announcement  of  the  World's  Committee,  were  deeply 
interested  in  the  mission  to  the  ''Sunrise  Kingdom."  I  bore 
the  greetings  to  Japan  of  some  of  the  foremost  Christian 
people  in  America,  including  the  Honorable  Chas.  W. 
Fairbanks,  Vice-president  of  the  United  States,  the  Hon- 
orable Leslie  M.  Shaw,  ex-Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  the 
Honorable  John  W.  Foster,  ex-Secretary  of  State,  E.  K. 
Warren,  President  of  the  World's  Fourth  Sunday  School 
Convention,  the  Honorable  Justice  Maclaren,  President 
of  the  International  Sunday  School  Association,  Dr.  Geo. 
W.  Bailey,  Chairman  of  the  World's  Executive  Committee, 
Mr.  W.  N.  Hartshorn,  Chairman  of  Executive  Committee 
of  the  International  Sunday  School  Association,  Mr.  H.  J. 

274 


S    E 


Japan 

Heinz,  Chairman  of  the  Japan  Committee,  Secretaries  of  the 
leading  missionary  boards,  the  Honorable  John  Wanamaker, 
of  the  World's  Committee,  and  many  Sunday-  school  and 
denominational  leaders.  I  also  took  with  me  a  valuable 
Sunday-school  exhibit,  and  workers'  Hbrary  gathered 
especially  for  Japan. 

A  glorious  sunrise  as  our  ship  entered  Tokio  Bay  on  the 
morning  of  December  8,  seemed  prophetic  of  a  brighter  day 
for  the  Japan  division  of  the  Sunday-school  host. 

To  ally  the  Japanese  and  missionaries  in  the  work  pro- 
posed, I  carried  credentials  to  two  representative  bodies; 
the  Japan  Branch  of  the  Evangelical  Alliance  and  the 
standing  Committee  of  co-operating  Christian  missions. 
A  joint  meeting  of  the  Executive  Committees  of  both 
organizations  was  arranged.  The  reception  to  the  Com- 
missioner was  most  cordial  and  brotherly,  the  response  to 
the  greetings  hearty,  and  appreciative,  and  favorable  action 
on  the  suggestions  as  to  the  formation  of  a  Sunday-school 
Association  for  Japan  promptly  taken.  Committees  were 
appointed  on  conference,  and  in  co-operation  with  Sunday- 
school  interests,  initial  difficulties  were  overcome,  a  strong 
constitution  adopted  harmoniously,  officers  elected,  and  on 
January  5,  1907,  the  Sunday-school  Association  of  Japan 
was  successfully  launched. 

The  constitution  provides  for  a  central  Association  with 
headquarters  at  Tokio,  and  thirty-two  auxiliary  Associations, 
each  centering  about  some  important  city.  Each  district 
elects  a  representative  to  the  Board  of  Counsel,  the  con- 
trolling body  for  all  matters  not  especially  reserved  to  the 
annual  convention.  On  this  Board  of  Council  are  repre- 
sentatives at  large,  and  special  members  from  the  Japan 
Branch  of  the  Evangelical  Alliance  and  Standing  Committee 
of  Co-operating  Missions,  insuring  a  broad  representation. 
This  Board  of  Council  meets  annually  co-incident  with  the 
annual  convention,  elects  secretaries,  appoints  committees, 
and  decides  policies.     The  Executive  Committee  acts  for 

27s 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

the  Board  between  annual  sessions.  The  Education 
Committee's  work  covers  teacher-training  courses,  summer 
training-schools,  Sunday-school  courses  in  seminaries  and 
girls'  schools,  Sunday-school  workers'  library,  Sunday-school 
grading,  and  supplemental  work. 

The  Lesson  Committee,  in  addition  to  arranging  lesson 
courses  and  compiling  lesson  literature,  acts  as  a  publication 
committee  for  this  literature  and  for  helpful  Sunday-school 
books. 

Each  district  association  has  its  own  executive  committee 
and  provides  for  an  annual  convention  in  the  fall,  the 
national  convention  coming  in  the  spring.  For  the  present 
the  school,  or  group  of  small  schools,  is  made  a  unit  of 
representation  in  the  national  convention.  Each  school  is 
assessed  a  small  annual  fee  for  the  national  work. 

The  officers  elected  and  committees  and  councilmen 
appointed  under  the  constitution  are  all  men  of  strength. 
The  President  is  Judge  N.  Watanabe,  of  Tokio,  of  the 
Court  of  Appeals,  and  a  very  successful  Sunday-school 
superintendent.  The  vice-president,  the  Reverend  T. 
Miagawa,  of  Osaka,  is  a  leading  Congregational  pastor. 
The  Reverend  H.  Kosaki,  Chairman  of  the  Executive  and 
Educational  Committees,  is  Chairman  of  the  Executive 
Committee  of  the  Japan  EvangeHcal  Alliance.  The 
Chairman  of  the  Lesson  Committee  is  the  Reverend  N. 
Tamura,  probably  the  most  forceful  Sunday-school  man  in 
Japan,  thoroughly  versed  in  up-to-date  Sunday-school 
bibliography.  The  treasurers  are  Professor  Arakawa,  of 
the  Imperial  University,  and  the  Reverend  John  L.  Bearing, 
D.  D.,  of  Yokohama.  The  Japanese  Secretaries  are  the 
Reverend  T.  Ukai,  of  Tokio,  a  lovable  and  strong  man  of 
evangelistic  spirit,  widely  respected,  well  known  in  America, 
and  the  Reverend  K.  Mito,  recently  returned  from  America 
and  England,  where  he  has  made  a  special  study  of  Sunday- 
school  methods.  Mr.  Mito  is  without  doubt,  the  most 
resourceful  and  practical  Sunday-school  worker  in  Japan, 

276 


Japan 

having  made  a  marked  success  of  his  work  as  Sunday-school 
field  agent  for  the  Methodist  Church,  South,  in  Japan. 
As  a  Convention  speaker  he  is  very  effective,  and  a  genius 
in  Sunday-school  appliances.  The  third  Secretary  is  the 
Reverend  J.  G.  Dunlop,  a  Presbyterian,  loaned  by  that  body 
for  this  Sunday-school  service,  a  fluent  speaker  of  Japanese, 
and  very  highly  esteemed.  Mr.  Dunlop  is  a  delegate  to  this 
Convention  on  his  way  back  from  America  to  Japan,  and 
will  carry  to  his  work,  we  believe,  its  enthusiasm. 

The  annual  pledge  to  Japan  of  one  thousand  dollars  by 
the  American  Committee  up  to  the  date  of  the  Louisville 
Convention,  made  possible  by  the  generous  contributions 
of  Mr.  Heinz,  its  Chairman,  will,  it  is  expected,  cover  the 
salaries  and  traveling  expenses  of  the  Secretaries. 

A  very  happy  feature  of  the  organization  was  the  insistence 
by  the  Japanese  that  the  missionaries  should  have  a  gen- 
erous representation  on  the  Executive,  Education  and 
Lesson  Committees.  Four  out  of  the  nine  members  of  the 
last  two  Committees  are  missionaries.  Four  of  the  members 
of  these  important  committees  are  ladies,  specialists  in 
kindergarten  and  primary  Sunday-school  w^ork. 

Following  the  organization,  committees  on  reception  and 
itinerary  were  appointed.  At  the  reception  for  the  Com- 
missioner, the  Reverend  D.  C.  Greene,  D.  D.,  Chairman  of 
the  Executive  Committee  of  the  Standing  Committee  of 
Co-operating  missions,  said  significantly  that  the  Com- 
missioner had  come  at  a  critical  time  in  the  history  of  Japan. 
There  was  an  enormous  recent  trade  increase;  a  new  life 
energy  had  taken  hold  of  Japan;  the  Christian  Church 
shared  this  new  life.  There  were  dangers,  owing  to  this 
being  the  transition  period.  The  churches  felt  this  transi- 
tion. Judging  by  recent  indications,  tens  of  thousands 
may  be  added  to  the  church  of  Japan  during  the  coming 
year.  These  new  converts  must  be  trained  in  the  Sunday- 
school.  Sunday-school  work  had  been  attempted,  but 
needs    new    methods.     Unity    through    association    will 

277 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

stimulate  schools,  scholars,  teachers.  He  expressed  for  the 
Standing  Committee  gratitude  for  the  coming  of  the  Com- 
missioner with  suggestions  which  had  culminated  in  the 
Association  which  was  expected  to  put  new  life  into  the 
Sunday-school  work  of  Japan. 

Dr.  Hiraiwa,  speaking  for  the  Japanese,  said  that  the 
increase  in  Sunday-school  membership  in  Japan  'was 
marked.  Children  outside  of  church  homes  are  coming 
into  the  Sunday-school.  Sunday-school  work  in  Japan 
was  practically  only  thirty  years  old.  They  felt  the  need  of 
improvement  in  methods,  organization,  teaching,  lessons; 
pedagogical  methods  will  need  special  attention.  There 
was  never  a  time  in  the  history  of  the  Church  in  Japan  when 
so  large  a  number  of  young  people  were  more  ready  to 
devote  themselves  to  Sunday-school  work.  The  Com- 
missioner had  come  at  an  opportune  time,  and  the  best 
testimonial  to  him  would  be  the  putting  of  new  energy  into 
Sunday-school  work,  and  by  making  a  great  success  of  the 
Association. 

A  tour  of  six  weeks  followed,  covering  Sunday-school 
Institutes  of  from  one  to  four  days  at  sixteen  district  centers. 
Pastors,  missionaries,  Sunday-school  workers,  evangelists, 
Bible  women,  students  from  Seminaries  and  girls'  schools 
were  drawn  into  these  Institutes  from  a  large  territory. 
The  preparations  were  in  the  hands  of  local  union  committees 
who  co-operated  heartily.  The  subjects  discussed  were, 
''The  World-wide  Sunday-school  Movement,"  ''The  Ameri- 
can Sunday-school  Work,"  "The  Sunday-school  Work  in 
Japan,"  "The  Relation  of  the  Pastor  to  the  Sunday-school," 
"Sunday-school  Organization  and  Methods,"  "Training 
of  the  Teacher,"  "The  Kindergarten  Class,"  "The  Sunday- 
school  and  the  Home,"  "The  Book  We  Teach,"  "The 
Great  Mission  of  the  Sunday-school," — subjects  especially 
pertinent  to  the  growth  of  the  new  enterprise. 

The  Japanese  Secretaries,  one  or  both,  were  in  attendance 
and  training  during  the  tour.     Effective  help  was  given  in 

278 


Japan 

addresses  by  them  and  prominent  Japanese,  the  Reverend 
N.  Tamura,  Dr.  Hiraiwa  and  Mr.  Sawaye. 

The  Sunday-school  exhibit  was  a  source  of  unfaiHng 
interest  and  fruitful  suggestions  at  these  Institutes.  The 
large  attendance,  sustained  interest  and  enthusiasm,  and 
note-taking  on  a  large  scale  were  most  marked.  Students 
from  Government  and  Christian  schools  showed  especial 
interest,  and  were  present  in  large  numbers.  Pastors 
confessed  their  previous  indifference  to  the  Sunday-school 
and  their  failure  to  grasp  the  opportunity  it  presented,  and 
promised  amends.  Teachers  caught  a  new  vision  of  their 
work,  and  the  magnitude  of  the  Sunday-school  army  of 
which  they  were  a  part.  Parents,  weeping,  said  they  felt 
their  obligation  in  the  training  of  their  children  as  never 
before.  Church  ofi&cers  promised  to  spend  more  money  on 
the  Sunday-school.  Seminary  presidents  said  they  should 
introduce  Sunday-school  books  and  courses.  The  prejudice 
of  Japanese  educators  against  the  Sunday-school  was  in 
places  overcome.  It  was  seen  that  the  Sunday-school 
supplied  the  moral  balance  needed  in  Japan's  educational 
system.  The  Japanese  Minister  of  Education  in  a  recent 
address  at  the  Business  Men's  Club  of  Tokio,  confessed 
that  Japan's  greatest  need,  educationally,  was  the  production 
of  character  in  its  students.  Principals  were  deploring 
this  same  lack.  Surprise  was  expressed  at  the  marked 
advance  abroad  in  Sunday-school  work,  and  the  interest 
of  prominent  laymen  in  that  work.  Question  boxes  were 
very  successfully  used  at  these  institutes. 

The  spiritual  resuhs  of  the  meetings  were  most  precious. 
The  meetings  were  characterized  as  a  Sunday-school 
revival.  The  spiritual  life  of  many  in  attendance  was 
deepened.  There  was  great  tenderness  of  feeling,  and 
responsiveness  to  the  Spirit's  leadings.  The  workers  were 
drawn  together  in  a  spirit  of  blessed  unity. 

At  Hiroshima,  in  a  few  days'  meetings  following  the 
Institute,  over  sixty  of  the  Japanese  girls  in  the  large  girls' 

279 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

school  became  Christians  and  were  enrolled  as  probationers 
in  the  church.  A  large  proportion  in  giving  their  experience 
said  their  first  definite  impulse  to  become  followers  of  Christ 
came  during  the  Sunday-school  Institute.  The  burden  of 
their  thought  seemed  to  be,  "while  so  much  that  is  grand  and 
noble  is  being  done,  am  I  to  have  no  part?"  These  were 
all  non-Christian  girls,  mostly  from  strong  Booddhist  homes. 

The  eagerness  of  the  young  people  in  the  Christian  schools 
of  Japan  for  knowledge  and  help  on  Sunday-school  lines, 
constitutes  one  of  the  most  promising  features  of  the  work. 
Over  eighty  per  cent  of  the  present  Sunday-school  teaching 
force  in  Japan  is  the  product  of  these  schools. 

At  Kanazawa,  Hiroshima,  and  Nagasaki  large  and 
enthusiastic  rallies  of  children  of  the  Sunday-school  were 
held  in  large  halls  on  Institute  Sundays  with  excellent 
singing,  exercises  by  the  children,  and  addresses.  The 
picturesqueness  of  such  gatherings  of  Japanese  children 
and  young  people  in  hoHday  dress  can  be  imagined. 

Committees  and  pastors  expressed  great  gratitude  to  the 
World's  Committee  for  the  help  and  encouragement  given 
them  by  the  mission.  To  feel  that  they  were  linked  up  in 
the  fellowship  of  the  world's  work  was  a  great  inspiration, 
and  they  felt  deeply  the  responsibihty  of  measuring  up  to 
better  standards  of  work  in  view  of  this  relationship  and 
their  natural  position  as  leaders  in  the  Orient. 

At  each  place  visited,  steps  were  taken  unanimously  to 
organize  district  associations.  For  this  purpose  forms  of 
district  constitutions  were  furnished  by  the  National  Asso- 
ciation. Eighteen  out  of  thirty-two  district  associations 
have  thus  taken  favorable  action.  The  others  will  be 
reached  and  organized,  it  is  expected,  before  the  annual 
convention,  May  lo  to  12.  The  expression  was  everywhere 
the  same,  that  the  organization  crystallized  a  long  felt  need. 

On  this  tour  opportunity  of  wider  service  was  given 
through  addresses  in  government,  middle,  higher  and 
normal  schools,  orphanages,  seminaries,  and  girls'  schools. 

280 


Japan  ' 

\^    -  '  '  ■  ' 

As  the  result  of  the  conferences  with  officers  and  com- 
mittees at  Tokio,  the  following  work  was  inaugurated  or 
policies  outlined.  The  Lesson  Committee  has  planned  for 
three  series  of  lessons  to  be  operated  after  July  i. 

First,  a  beginners',  course  of  two  years  for  the  youngest 
children,  probably  the  two  years'  International  Beginners' 
Course,  with  large  pictures  suited  to  Japanese  life,  and 
supplemented  by  a  well-edited  illustrated  paper  for  children 
and  parents,  for  Sunday-school  distribution.  A  committee 
of  ladies,  kindergarten  and  primary  experts,  is  outlining  this 
course. 

Second,  the  regular  International  Course,  with  improved 
helps  for  scholars. 

Third,  an  advanced  course  for  adults,  probably  the  new 
optional  advanced  course  of  the  International  Association. 

A  teachers'  magazine  is  to  be  issued  containing  lesson 
helps,  news  items  as  to  the  Sunday-school  Association  of 
Japan,  question  columns,  information  as  to  methods,  and 
articles  as  to  Sunday-school  departments.  The  Committee, 
as  a  publication  committee  for  the  Association  will  bring 
out  up-to-date  books  for  Sunday-school  workers  under 
a  royalty  arrangement  with  the  publishers,  insuring  a  growing 
library  for  teachers,  officers  and  pastors,  and  some  income 
for  the  expansion  of  this  work. 

Work  is  now  in  progress  on  a  special  Sunday-school  song- 
book  for  Japan. 

Books  now  translated  or  soon  to  be  issued  in  Japanese 
available  for  a  Sunday-school  workers'  library,  are,  "The 
Sunday-school  Teacher"  by  Hamill,  ''Teaching  and 
Teachers,"  by  Trumbull,  ''The  Kingdom  in  the  Cradle," 
by  Atkins,  "The  Twentieth  Century  Sunday-school,"  by 
Tamura,  "Kindergarten  Work,"  by  Miss  Howe,  "Sunday- 
school  Methods,"  by  Mito,  and  I  am  pleased  to  state  that 
since  coming  to  Italy,  Mr.  Heinz  has  authorized  the  trans- 
lation of  three  additional  books,  "How  to  Conduct  the 
Sunday-school,"  by  Marion  Lawrance,  "The  Blackboard 

281 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

Class  for  Sunday-school  Teachers,"  by  Miss  Darnell,  ''Out- 
Hne  Studies  in  the  Old  and  New  Testament,"  by  Hurlbut. 

The  Educational  Committee  is  planning  a  training  course 
for  Sunday-school  teachers,  covering  the  Bible,  the  teacher, 
the  child  and  Sunday-school  organization,  with  examina- 
tions and  presentation  of  Association  diplomas  at  the 
district  conventions.  Books  are  available  for  this  course  in 
the  list  just  given.  This  training  course  is  to  be  pushed  in 
seminaries,  girls'  and  Bible-training  schools,  and  Sunday- 
schools.  The  fondness  of  the  Japanese  for  official  diplomas 
will  aid  in  popularizing  this  course. 

Sunday-school  Institutes  and  Teacher-training  Courses, 
with  special  diplomas  for  note-taking  and  attendance,  are 
planned  for  Kamakura  and  Kanazawa. 

A  number  of  workers'  circulating  libraries,  composed 
partly  of  English  and  partly  of  Japanese  books,  are  to  be 
sent  out  by  the  Association  upon  application  to  district 
organizations,  for  use  for  a  hmited  time  for  Japanese 
workers  and  missionaries,  who  have  made  earnest  inquiries 
for  these  books.  Gradually  it  is  expected  the  districts  will 
secure  libraries  of  their  own. 

The  Sunday-school  exhibit  and  library  is  to  be  kept  at 
Tokio  headquarters  when  not  in  use  at  district  conventions 
It  will  be  added  to  from  America  from  time  to  time. 

A  series  of  practical  leaflets  is  in  preparation  to  stimulate 
work  along  all  open  lines.  These  will  cover  the  Sunday- 
school  Association  of  Japan,  instructions  and  suggestions 
to  district  organizations,  the  cradle,  or  baby  roll  (for  they 
have  no  cradles  in  Japan),  Home  Department,  Sunday- 
school  grading,  supplemental  work,  teacher-training  course, 
Sunday-school  workers'  library,  what  constitutes  a  banner 
Sunday-school  and  a  banner  district,  and  a  general  Round 
Table  leaflet.  These  leaflets  are  for  distribution  to  district 
secretaries,  to  Sunday-schools,  and  to  be  available  at  the 
district  and  national  conventions.  The  baby  roll  certificate 
will  bear  on  the  border  the  pictures  of  the  children  of  the 

282 


Japan 

officers  and  committeemen  of  the  Association.  This 
department  promises  to  be  a  very  thrifty  one. 

To  arouse  a  national  interest  in  a  Sunday-school  advance 
movement,  the  Association  has  erected  a  standard  for 
a  banner  district  and  proposes  to  present  a  banner  at  the 
National  Convention  to  be  held  for  one  year  by  the  district 
which  for  the  year  previous  has  made  the  largest  advance 
in  Sunday-school  membership,  new  Sunday-school  equip- 
ment purchased  (such  as  blackboards),  st'udents  secured 
for  teacher-training  course,  teachers'  Hbraries  purchased, 
new  teachers  enrolled,  teachers'-meetings  held,  baby  roll 
and  Home  Department  membership,  supplemental  work 
introduced.  It  is  desired  that  this  banner  shall  be  pre- 
sented to  Japan  by  this  World's  Convention  for  this  purpose, 
to  give  it  added  value,  and  I  promised  them  you  would  do  it. 
Each  district  will  be  encouraged  to  present  a  banner  to  the 
school  which  within  the  district  makes  the  best  advance 
along  similar  lines. 

Less  than  ten  per  cent,  of  pastors  are  reckoned  as 
attendants  at  Sunday-school  sessions.  Superintendents 
are  usually  church  deacons,  teachers  in  public  schools, 
missionaries,  evangelists,  business  men.  Pastors  occasion- 
ally superintend. 

Mission  schools  are  as  a  rule  primary  only,  conducted  as 
one  class  in  rented  houses.  They  are  directed  chiefly  by  the 
ladies  in  charge  of  the  excellent  girls'  schools  of  Japan,  who 
pay  the  rent  and  train  students  as  teachers  in  a  weekly 
teachers'-meeting.  Some  schools  supply  from  twenty  to 
forty  teachers,  who  go  out  in  twos  to  needy  parts  of  such 
cities. 

Blackboards  are  often  used  and  the  regular  International 
Lessons  taught,  or  the  International  Beginners'  course,  Miss 
Palmer's  or  Mrs.  Haven's  lessons.  The  weekly  training  of 
these  teachers  as  conducted  is  important,  as  without  it  there 
would  be  a  tendency  with  the  Japanese  to  deflect  into  moral 
and  hero  stories  and  fables. 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

In  some  places  some  home  visitation  is  done  in  connection 
with  these  street  or  mission  schools  by  Bible  women  or 
missionaries,  but  the  students  are,  as  a  rule,  too  busy  with 
their  studies  to  visit.  Access  to  homes,  too,  is  more  difficult 
in  Japan. 

Seminaries  and  churches  conduct  some  excellent  mission 
Sunday-school  work  in  rented  houses  or  chapels,  supplying 
teachers  from  the  young  men  students  and  church  members. 
The  church  schools  in  the  cities  have  usually  some  grading. 
I  visited  well-graded  church  schools  at  Sendai,  Tokio, 
Kanazawa,  Kobe,  Okayama,  and  Hirashima.  Age  and 
public  school  position  are  the  standards  in  this  grading. 
In  these  schools  the  opening  exercises  are  held  in  joint 
session,  the  classes  dividing  for  lesson  work,  and  coming 
together  for  review  and  closing  song  and  prayer.  The 
beginners'  or  primary  class  in  such  schools  is  mixed,  the 
classes  beyond  scrupulously  separated  as  to  sex.  Church 
schools  in  cities  where  there  is  educational  work  have 
classes  of  students  from  the  Government  schools,  taught  in 
English  by  missionaries,  or  by  Christian  teachers  attached 
to  such  Government  schools.  Almost  all  Government 
schools  of  academic  grade  have  one  or  more  Christian 
Japanese  teachers.  The  singing  in  the  schools  is  very 
heartily  engaged  in  and  often  excellent.  The  new  Sunday- 
school  song-book  will  vary  and  brighten  the  singing,  and  it 
is  expected  will  give  a  series  of  opening  and  closing  exercises 
for  school  use. 

Meetings  of  teachers  of  church  schools  for  lesson  study 
are  not  usual,  because  of  inconvenience  or  lack  of  interest 
or  invitation  on  part  of  pastor  or  superintendent. 

The  schools  in  Japan  range  usually  from  twenty-five  to 
one  hundred  and  fifty  members.  Two  cities,  Kanazawa, 
and  Okayama,  have  weekly  or  monthly  meetings  of  the 
teachers  of  all  the  schools  for  lesson  review. 
fe^.  We  should  note  the  fact  that  the  Christian  girls'  schools 
are  on  Sunday  organized  as  graded  Sunday-schools,  the 

284 


Japan 

lesson  being  taught  in  the  class-rooms  by  the  regular  week- 
day teachers.  Where  the  Christian  boys'  schools  are  not 
organized  as  Sunday-schools,  Bible  classes  of  the  students 
are  often  taught  on  Sunday. 

The  country  Sunday-schools  are  carried  on  by  mission- 
aries, or  evangelists  or  Bible  women,  with  help  occasionally 
from  local  Christians.  The  missionary  sometimes  repeats 
the  lesson  on  her  week-day  tour  into  the  country. 

The  International  Lessons  are  those  in  general  use,  the 
teaching  is  done  in  Japanese,  with  the  exception  of  the 
student  English  classes.  In  many  adult  classes  some  book 
of  the  Bible  is  taken  up  and  studied  consecutively,  a  method 
which  appeals  to  adult  Japanese. 

Several  of  the  theological  seminaries,  such  as  the  Doshisha 
College  of  Kyoto,  and  the  Southern  Methodist  School  at 
Kobe,  are  taking  a  special  course  of  instruction  of  students 
on  Sunday-school  methods  and  work.  ''How  to  Conduct 
a  Sunday  School,"  by  Marion  Lawrance  was  a  book  studied 
in  two  classes.  The  Kobe  school  has  a  library  of  thirty 
up-to-date  Sunday-school  books  for  students'  use. 

Booddhist  priests  are  introducing  Sunday-school  work 
and  rewards  for  attendance.  Formerly  they  paid  no 
attention  to  women  or  children.  They  are  now  imitating 
Christian  methods. 

The  blackboard  is  only  in  partial  use.  The  Japanese  are 
natural  artists,  and  could  make  the  blackboard  a  very 
effective  aid  in  teaching.  They  were  much  attracted  by  two 
books  in  the  exhibit  library,  "The  Blackboard  Class  for  Sun- 
day-school Teachers,"  by  Florence  H.  Darnell,  and  "Pic- 
tured Truth,"  by  Robert  F.  Y.  Pierce.  The  first  will  be 
translated,  and  the  use  of  the  blackboard  roll  encouraged. 
The  large  picture  lesson  roll,  small  picture  lesson  cards,  and 
attractive  Japanese  text-cards  for  rewards  are  in  use  in 
some  of  the  schools.  Mr.  Mito  has  issued  a  valuable  series 
of  quarterhes,  supplemental  lessons  and  exercises,  and 
ingenious  birthday  and  reward  cards,  opening  and  closing 

285 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

exercises,   and  appliances   for  building  up   Sunday-school 
attendance.     The  use  of  these  will  be  extended. 

A  large  amount  of  Bible  instruction  aside  from  the 
Sunday-school,  is  done  through  graded  Bible  work  during 
the  week  in  Christian  schools,  Bible  classes  in  EngHsh  at 
the  homes  of  Christian  teachers  in  Government  schools,  by 
Japanese  Bible  women,  evangelists  and  missionaries,  with 
mothers  gathered  in  mothers'  meetings  or  in  sewing,  cooking 
or  knitting  classes,  in  Young  Men's  Christian  Association 
classes,  children's  meetings  and  factory  talks.  The  Scrip- 
ture Union  of  London  has  12,000  members  in  Japan,  and  the 
International  Bible  Reading  Association  a  good  membership. 

Dr.  Miagawa,  of  Osaka,  it  is  reported,  has  said  there  are 
1,000,000  secret  Christians  in  Japan — Nicodemus  inquirers- 
unattached  to  the  Church.  I  know  of  two  Bible  corre- 
spondence lists  of  1,500  membership  each,  of  non-Christian 
Japanese,  including  heads  of  villages,  educators  and  business 
men,  suppHed  by  missionaries  with  a  monthly  paper  covering 
special  Bible  instruction  and  intelligence  regarding  Chris- 
tianity. 

The  sale  of  Bibles  in  Japan  is  doubling.  The  editor  of 
a  paper  at  Kanazawa,  himself  a  non-Christian,  has  openly 
advised  his  readers  to  read  the  Bible  one-half  hour  daily 
for  its  effect  upon  the  character. 

The  war,  with  all  of  its  horrors,  provided  a  golden  oppor- 
tunity to  the  Christian  Church  of  Japan  in  connection  with 
its  full  and  kindly  ministry  to  soldiers  in  hospital  and  on  the 
field,  through  comfort  bags,  at  railroad  stations,  to  sow  the 
Word  and  Christian  Hterature  broadcast.  These  were 
taken  by  grateful  soldiers  to  camp  and  back  to  their  homes 
in  the  remotest  corners  of  Japan.  The  fruit  of  it  is  shown 
in  a  changed  attitude  toward  Christianity  and  Christian 
instruction.  The  Emperor's  donation  of  10,000  yen  to 
the  work  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  has 
greatly  assisted  this  favorable  attitude  of  the  people  toward 
Christianity. 

286 


Japan 

A  friend  of  mine  met  a  Booddhist  priest  in  Japan  while 
going  across  country.  They  talked  about  Christianity. 
The  priest  pulled  from  his  sleeve  a  well-worn  Japanese 
Bible  and  showed  it.  The  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  John 
3:16,  Romans  12,  i  Cor.  13,  were  all  well  marked  in  that 
much  read  volume. 

"Why  have  you  marked  these?"  he  was  asked. 

"Some  of  these  places  have  a  striking  resemblance  to 
Booddhist  teaching,  some  I  don't  understand,  some  are 
especially  fine,  and  I  haven't  seen  them  anywhere  else." 

"What  do  you  think  of  Christianity?"  he  was  further 
asked. 

"I  think  it  is  a  pretty  good  rehgion.  Booddhism  is 
doomed,  and  is  good  for  nothing.  We  shall  have  to  take 
Christianity,  and  in  my  teaching  and  preaching  I  use  the 
Bible  and  teach  it.  The  people  don't  know  the  difference 
and  I  don't  tell  them." 

The  young  people  of  Japan  are  turning  away  from 
Booddhism.  Education  and  Christian  teaching  are  opening 
their  eyes.  Without  the  adherence  of  these  young  people 
Booddhism  is  doomed. 

On  May  10-12  the  first  convention  of  the  Sunday 
School  Association  of  Japan  was  held  in  the  city  of  Tokio. 
Their  Convention  Sunday  was  observed  throughout  Japan 
as  a  day  for  special  prayer  for  the  Sunday-school,  for 
preaching  upon  Sunday-school  themes,  and  special  exer- 
cises in  the  Sunday-schools.  This  convention  was  one  of 
four  great  gatherings  focusing  interest  upon  Japan  and 
giving  inspiration  to  the  Cliristian  work,  the  others  being 
the  World's  Student  Young  Men's  Christian  Association 
Convention,  the  meetings  of  General  Booth,  and  the  first 
general  Conference  of  the  United  Methodist  Church  of 
Japan. 

The  Sunday  School  Association  of  Japan,  representing 
the  aggressive  spirit  of  young  Japan,  has  commissioned  me 
to  invite  the  next  World's  Convention  to  meet  in  the  city  of 

287 


;  Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

Tokio,  the  gateway  of  the  East.  This  invitation  reads  as 
follows: 

''The  Sunday-school  Association  of  Japan,  conscious  of 
its  youth,  and  also  of  the  great  burden  of  its  opportunity,  to 
the  older  brethren  gathered  in  Rome,  greeting,  and  a 
Macedonian  appeal  for  the  cheer  and  inspiration  of  their 
presence  in  the  Mikado's  capital,  when  next  they  come 
together  in  conference  regarding  the  Sunday-school  interests 
of  the  kingdom."  This  invitation  is  signed  by  T.  M. 
MacNair  for  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  Sunday  School 
Association  of  Japan. 

The  duty  of  this  Convention  is  clear.  We  must  heed  the 
call  of  the  Far  East  where  nearly  two-thirds  of  the  human 
race  await  a  saving  knowledge  of  Christ.  Japan  and 
China  have  just  passed  into  the  column  of  the  organized 
Sunday-school  forces.  Korea  will  organize  in  September. 
The  Philippines  are  asking  for  organization.  The  Sunday- 
school  and  the  Christian  day-school  are  the  keys  of  the 
position  in  taking  these  fields  for  Christ.  Shall  we  not 
accept  the  invitation  of  the  East  and  by  that  acceptance 
impart  strength,  stimulus,  ideal  enthusiasm,  to  the  work 
and  workers  in  this  whitening  harvest  field? 

The  Sunday  School  Association  of  Japan  will,  I  believe, 
do  its  full  part  in  revealing  through  the  word  Christ,  the 
great  world  Shepherd,  who  said,  "And  other  sheep  I  have, 
which  are  not  of  this  fold :  them  also  I  must  bring,  and  they 
shall  hear  my  voice;  and  they  shall  become  one  flock,  one 
shepherd."  And  the  people  of  the  Far  East  are  as  dear  to 
him  as  are  those  of  the  West.  For  them  he  paid  the  price 
of  his  life. 


Korea 

By  the  Rev.  John  G.  Dunlop 

This  is  a  missionary,  as  well  as  a  Sunday-school  Con- 
vention— a  Congress  of  men  and  women  who  believe  the 

288 


Korea 

world,  the  whole  round  world,  is  to  be  brought  under  the 
glory  and  the  dominion  and  the  benediction  of  the  cross  of 
Christ.  The  missionary  speakers,  therefore,  have  a  mis- 
sionary message  as  well  as  a  Sunday-school  message  to 
deUver.  My  message  is  from  Korea,  one  of  the  newest  and 
one  of  the  least  known  of  the  great  mission  lands.  I  should 
like  you  to  carry  away  two  pictures  of  that  land  and  of  that 
people. 

The  first  is  a  picture  of  the  Hermit  Nation  as  it  has 
existed  (that  is  the  right  word — existed)  for  many  centuries. 
It  is  a  nation  of  twelve  millions,  governed  by  a  little  King 
called  an  Emperor,  who  would  be  more  in  place  and  more 
at  home  in  the  days  of  the  kingdoms  of  Moab  and  Edom 
than  in  these  dazzling,  puzzling,  civilizing  days  of  the 
twentieth  century;  a  httle  King  who  has  read  nothing,  and 
for  more  than  fifty  years  of  his  life  has  heard  nothing  but 
flattery;  whose  closest  companions  are  witches  and  fortune- 
tellers, sorcerers,  diviners,  spirit-exorcisers,  necromancers, 
and  every  other  variety  of  characters  of  such  sort;  who  is  so 
fearful  of  assassination  that  he  dares  not  go  to  sleep  in  the 
dark,  and  so  turns  night  into  day,  eating  his  noon-day  meal 
at  midnight  and  his  evening  dinner  at  dawn,  and  sleeping 
through  the  safe  hours  of  the  daylight. 

This  country  has  had  a  government,  so-called — perhaps 
the  corruptest  government  any  country  has  ever  been 
cursed  with.  The  theory  of  government  has  been:  plunder 
of  the  people.  The  only  restriction,  more  honored  in  the 
breach  than  in  the  observance,  has  been  that  you  cannot 
plunder  all  of  the  people  all  the  time.  You  cannot  get 
a  better  idea  of  the  government  than  by  hearing  some  of  the 
figures  of  one  of  their  most  recent  budgets.  The  expendi- 
tures for  the  King  and  the  corrupt  horde  that  surround  him 
was  $1,750,000;  for  the  navy — and  it  was  composed  of  one 
rotten  gunboat  and  fifty-three  admirals — was  $300,000; 
while  for  public  education  it  was  $27,000,  for  2,000  pupils. 
Japan  has  six  million  pupils  in  national  schools.     Korea, 

289 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

with  one-fourth  of  the  population  should  have  one  and 
a  half  milKons.  She  has  2,000.  No  further  illustration 
of  the  government  is  necessary. 

The  people, — the  poor,  down-trodden,  discouraged,  dirty 
people — have  been  described  as  twelve  millions  divided 
into  two  classes,  yongbons  or  gentlemen  (save  the  mark!) 
and  cooHes,  and,  whether  gentlemen  or  coolies,  for  the  most 
part,  ignorant  and  indolent,  filthy  and  vermin-ridden.  They 
are  so  ignorant  and  superstitious  that  in  an  outbreak  of 
cholera,  which  they  attribute  to  rats  getting  up  into  their 
legs,  they  try  to  ward  off  the  disease  by  putting  pictures  of 
cats  on  their  clothes  and  the  windows  of  their  houses;  so 
ignorant  that  nine  years  ago,  when  the  electric  car  service 
in  Seoul,  the  capital,  had  just  been  instituted  by  an  American 
company,  and  coincidently  there  was  a  serious  drought  in 
the  neighborhood  of  the  Capital,  the  trolley-cars  were 
blamed  for  the  drought.  They  reasoned  in  this  way:  The 
God  of  Rain  looked  down  and  took  those  things  that  moved 
so  smoothly  up  and  down  the  streets  for  boats.  They  must 
be  boats — nothing  to  pull  them,  nothing  to  push  them,  but 
going  all  the  same!  They  are  boats.  Therefore,  there  is 
abundance  of  water  in  the  streets  of  Seoul  and  no  need  of 
rain.  And  the  mob  in  their  fury  smashed  the  unoffending 
trolley-cars,  and  would  have  destroyed  the  whole  system 
if  they  had  not  been  restrained. 

They  are  a  people,  the  keynote  of  whose  life  is  to  do 
nothing,  if  possible,  but  at  any  rate  to  do  as  little  as  possible; 
a  nation  of  intense  inertia.  Why  should  they  move  ?  Why 
should  they  exert  themselves?  To  gain  anything,  and  rise 
above  the  mire  and  filth,  is  only  to  expose  themselves  to  the 
merciless  rapacity  of  their  rulers.  Misgovernment  has 
made  them  what  they  are.  In  a  land  sea-girt  and  moun- 
tainous like  this  lovely  Italy,  they  have  developed  neither 
energy  nor  courage,  they  have  produced  neither  navigators 
nor  artists  nor  patriots.  They  had  the  mariner's  compass 
before  Europe  knew  it;  they  had  metal  type  and  an  iron-clad 

290 


Korea 

ship  four  hundred  years  ago;  the  art  and  medicine  and 
letters  and  knowledge  of  the  Chinese  classics  which  Japan 
has,  came  through  Korea  fourteen  hundred  years  ago;  but 
while  Japan  with  these  acquirements  laid  the  foundations 
of  her  present  greatness,  Korea  has  only  deteriorated, 
degenerated,  disintegrated. 

What  can  missions,  what  can  the  Sunday-school,  what 
can  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  do  for  such  a  people  ? 

This  brings  one  to  the  second  picture.  It  is  the  picture 
of  the  church  that  has  grown  up  out  of  that  mire  in  the  past 
twenty-four  years  since  mission  work  began  in  Korea.  It 
is  the  most  unanswerable  argument  to  be  found  in  the 
world  to-day,  for  the  Divine  sanction  and  Divine  authority 
of  Foreign  Missions.  Is  there  any  one  who  still  regards 
the  work  of  missions  as  something  voluntary,  gratuitous, 
a  work  of  supererogation,  the  self-imposed  task  of  some 
over-zealous  or  merely  sentimental  people?  If  the  char- 
acter of  the  Bible  itself  as  a  missionary  book,  written  by 
missionary  men  to  missionary  peoples  does  not  convince, 
or  if  the  history  of  the  Church  and  the  manner  in  which  we 
have  got  our  Christianity  has  not  convinced,  I  ask  you  to  go 
to  Korea  and  be  convinced  by  what  God  has  wrought  there. 
Godless  men,  war  correspondents,  travelers,  have  gone 
and  seen  and  believed,  and  have  come  back  converted  men, 
at  least  so  far  as  missions  are  concerned. 

The  church  which  has  grown  up  in  less  than  a  generation 
now  numbers  about  100,000.  It  increased  fifty  per  cent, 
last  year,  and  since  the  end  of  last  year  has  experienced 
a  revival  perhaps  not  less  powerful  and  fruitful  than  the 
recent  Welsh  revival.  The  membership  in  one  Presby- 
terian district  in  the  north  grew  last  year  from  6,507  to 
11,943 — nearly  5,500  accessions  in  the  year.  That  it  was 
substantial  growth  is  shown  by  the  facts  that  those  Christians, 
out  of  their  deep  poverty,  gave  during  the  year  over  $9,900 
for  Christian  work;  they  pledged  8,000  days — one  man 
giving  a  wxek,  another  a  month,  and  so  on — for  a  special 

291 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

definite  evangelistic  effort;  they  built  eighteen  new  churches 
in  that  district  and  enlarged  twenty-seven  old  ones  during 
the  year;  they  have  fifty-six  day-schools  with  nearly  1,200 
pupils,  their  schools  receiving  not  one  dollar  of  missionary 
money. 

The  two  special  characteristics  of  these  Korean  Christians 
are  independence  and  diligence  in  Bible  study.  They  are 
for  the  most  part  Methodists  or  Presbyterians,  but  better 
than  either  of  these  names  the  name  of  one  of  the  smaller 
English  denominations  fits  them — Bible  Christians.  The 
Koreans  are  Bible  Christians.  Many  hundreds  of  the 
ordinary  church  members  gather  twice  a  year  for  a  fortnight 
of  daily  Bible  study.  They  come  three,  six,  ten  days' 
journey  at  their  own  expense  to  attend  these  helpful  insti- 
tutes. 

Their  other  particular  characteristic  is  independence. 
In  no  other  mission  land  has  there  been  such  a  splendid 
success  in  training  the  young  native  church  in  self-support. 
They  build  their  own  churches  and  pay  their  own  preachers. 
The  largest,  most  conspicuous  building  in  the  great  city  of 
Ping  Yang  is  the  Presbyterian  Church,  built  with  Korean 
funds,  seating  nearly  2,000  people  and  sometimes  having 
1,000  at  the  mid-week  service  of  prayer.  The  city  of  Ping 
Yang  in  which  there  was  not  a  Christian  sixteen  years  ago 
now  has  a  flourishing  Christian  community  of  over  5,000 
people. 

My  first  picture  was  of  unregenerate  Korea.  Set  beside 
it  this  second  picture  of  the  regenerated  church  of  Korea — 
and  praise  God  again  for  his  hmitless  power  and  abound- 
ing grace. 

God  help  us  to  do  our  duty  by  this  brave  young  church  of 
Korea,  and  so  hasten  the  day  when  in  Korea,  as  in  all  the 
world,  ''they  shall  no  more  need  to  teach  every  man  his 
brother  and  every  man  his  neighbor,  saying,  'Know  the 
Lord;'  for  they  shall  all  know  him,  from  the  least  of  them 
even  unto  the  greatest  of  them.'" 

292 


Korea 
Korea 

By  Frank  L.  Brown 

I  arrived  in  Korea  February  23,  and  found  it  shaken  with 
a  great  revival,  likened  to  that  of  apostolic  times,  and 
having  many  of  the  characteristics  of  the  great  Welsh 
revival  in  the  thoroughness  of  individual  confession  of 
sins,  restitution,  prevalence  of  prayer,  increase  of  Bible 
study,  and  heart  searching  Gospel  sermons  from  the  lips 
of  Korean  pastors  and  evangelists. 

There  were  converts  at  practically  every  meeting.  The 
meetings  were  the  climax  of  a  movement,  based  in  prayer, 
which  had  been  under  way  for  some  time  and  which  has 
swept  thousands  into  the  membership  of  the  churches. 
That  membership  with  seekers  and  adherents  is  now 
estimated  at  100,000. 

Two  hundred  and  four  missionaries,  an  inadequate 
force,  have  the  responsibility  of  the  educational  and  hos- 
pital work  and  the  training  of  Korean  pastors,  evangelists, 
exhorters,  teachers,  Bible  workers,  class  leaders.  This 
training  is  mainly  accompHshed  in  large  semi-annual 
gatherings  of  the  Korean  workers  at  Seoul  and  Ping  Yang, 
where  for  several  weeks  or  longer  they  are  foundationed 
in  the  Bible  and  methods  of  work.  These  gatherings  are 
Korean  Northfields.  While  at  Seoul  I  found  one  of  these 
Presbyterian  training  classes  of  about  three  hundred  Koreans 
in  session.  A  similar  gathering  of  Methodist  Koreans 
was  in  session  at  Ping  Yang.  These  Koreans  were  reverent 
and  eager  for  help.  They  had  come  at  their  own  expense, 
sometimes  walking  a  hundred  miles  to  be  present.  In 
their  hands  was  the  new  Korean  Bible  which  consists  at 
present  of  the  New  Testament,  Genesis,  and  Psalms. 
20,000  copies  were  sold  in  a  few  months  following  August 
last  and  the  edition  exhausted.  W^ork  is  in  progress  on 
the  translation  of  the  balance  of  the  Old  Testament.  In 
Seoul  and  Ping  Yang  audiences  of  five  hundred  to  fifteen 

293 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

hundred  were  in  attendance  at  the  church  services.  A 
Korean  convert  becomes  a  worker,  advertising  his  mem- 
bership in  the  church  in  some  places  by  a  sign  on  the  outside 
of  his  house,  thus,  "witnessing  a  good  confession." 

District  or  group  training  classes  are  held  during  the 
year  at  other  points  in  Korea.  These  classes  would  lend 
themselves  splendidly  to  specific  training  in  Sunday-school 
methods  and  teaching  for  in  them  practically  all  Sunady- 
school  leaders  are  gathered. 

There  were  in  Korea  according  to  1906  report  six  hundred 
and  thirteen  Sunday-schools  and  45,918  members,  a  gain 
over  previous  year  of  one  hundred  and  seventy-six  schools 
and  20,607  members.  The  present  membership  must  be 
much  larger.    Korea's  population  is  estimated  at  12,000,000. 

The  Sunday-school  sessions  are  held  usually  from  ten 
to  eleven  preceding  the  church  service  into  which  the  Sunday- 
school  merges.  Practically  all  the  Church  membership  is 
in  attendance  at  the  Sunday-school,  making  it  in  this  respect 
ideal.  The  proportion  of  adults  in  the  Sunday-school  is 
variously  estimated  from  six-tenths  to  nine-tenths  and 
hungry  for  Bible  instruction.  Men  preponderate  somewhat 
in  attendance,  week-day  religious  leaders  are  the  teachers. 
The  small  attendance  of  children  is  accounted  for  by  the 
precedence  given  the  seniors  in  the  home  life.  The  children 
are  not  planned  for,  being  left  at  home  often  as  caretakers 
while  the  seniors  go  to  Sunday-school.  Then  there  is 
practically  nothing  to  attract  attendance  of  children,  no 
children's  lessons  or  separate  rooms,  black-boards,  illustrative 
material,  reward  cards.  The  same  lesson  is  taught  the 
children  as  to  the  adults  and  frequently  in  the  same  class. 
A  good  many  Korean  adults  are  children  in  intelligence 
and  Bible  knowledge. 

The  teaching  is  done  in  classes  of  ten  to  fifty,  according 
to  number  of  teachers  available.  The  exercises  are  simple, 
consisting  of  singing,  prayer,  lesson  study,  review,  singing, 
prayer. 

294 


Korea 

Practically  all  of  the  education  in  Korea  is  done  by 
Christian  day-schools.  The  Government  has  not  developed 
a  public  school  system.  The  day-schools  are  attached  to 
Churches.  They  are  largely  self-supporting,  the  rudiments 
taught  by  Christian  Korean  teachers,  not  themselves  always 
very  far  advanced.  Their  Bible  is  largely  the  text-book 
and  is  thus  absorbed,  and  portions  memorized.  These 
children  are  also  in  attendance  at  the  Sunday-school  service 
and  constitute  the  bulk  of  the  children's  attendance.  They 
are  usually  taught  in  Sunday-school  by  their  day-school 
teachers.  Not  much  effort  has  yet  been  made  to  secure 
attendance  at  Sunday-school  of  children  outside  the  day- 
school  membership.  In  one  day-school  of  one  hundred 
and  forty  boys  at  Kangwa  every  boy  is  a  member  of  the 
church. 

It  is  the  rule  to  have  a  weekly  teacher's-meeting,  fully 
attended,  for  lesson  preparation,  conducted  by  the  mis- 
sionary or  pastor.  In  some  cases  teachers  are  not  permitted 
to  teach  if  not  present  at  this  teacher's-meeting.  The 
instruction  has  not  proceeded  far  from  the  memorizing  of 
question  and  answer  as  yet,  but  the  meeting  is  there  and 
can  be  gradually  expanded  into  an  effective  normal  class. 

A  blind  Korean  Sunday-school  superintendant  with 
one  hundred  and  sixty  scholars,  seventeen  teachers,  can  tell 
number  present  in  each  class  for  several  previous  Sundays, 
memorizes  lessons  and  questions  and  answers  for  review, 
including  Golden  Text,  and  conducts  a  weekly  teachers'- 
meeting.  His  boy  reads  the  lesson  to  him  and  he  thus 
memorizes  it.  There  are  several  Sunday-schools  at  Seoul 
of  five  hundred  membership  and  one  reported  at  Ping 
Yang  of  1,000  members. 

At  Seoul  sixty  missionaries  are  stationed.  I  had  a  very 
full  conference  with  them  concerning,  first,  better  organiza- 
tion and  methods;  second,  improvement  of  lesson  system; 
third,  advisability  of  organization  of  a  Korean  Sunday 
School  Association  or  Committee;  fourth,  in  what  respects 

295 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

the  World's  Sunday  School  Committee  could  be  of  service 
to  them. 

The  Japan  Sunday-school  exhibit  was  displayed  and 
aroused  deep  interest. 

It  was  thought  easily  possible  to  build  up  the  attendance 
of  children  in  the  Sunday-school  through  appointment  of 
a  different  hour  for  Sunday-school  for  children  under 
fifteen;  say  from  nine  to  ten,  or  in  the  afternoon,  using  black- 
board, appropriate  songs  and  exercises,  lessons  adapted 
to  children,  illustrative  charts  and  cards.  There  is  no 
Buddhistic  influence  to  speak  of  in  Korea  to  prevent  chil- 
dren's attendance. 

The  Cradle  Roll  some  were  eager  to  introduce  at  once. 
It  was  not  thought  difficult  to  break  down  the  indifference 
of  parents  to  their  children's  attendance  if  the  sessions  were 
made  interesting. 

As  to  lessons,  the  International  Course  was  used  until 
recently.  A  Committee  of  their  Council  of  Missions  has 
prepared  lessons  for  Korea  as  an  experiment,  covering 
consecutive  study  of  a  Bible  book,  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles 
being  last  year's  course.  This  has  been  only  partially 
satisfactory.  Beginners  and  secondary  lessons  are  needed. 
Probably  the  new  Japanese  Beginner's  Course  and  illus- 
trative charts  can  be  utilized.  An  earlier  arrival  from 
America  of  the  regular  International  lesson  text  and  helps 
would  probably  restore  those  lessons  to  favor — or  a  new 
graded  course  may  be  determined  on  as  best.  Their 
present  lesson  quarterlies  are  usually  in  the  hands  of  the 
teacher  only  and  not  generally  distributed  to  the  School. 
There  is  not  much  previous  study  of  the  lessons  in  the  homes. 

As  to  an  Association  or  National  Sunday  School  Com- 
mittee the  Koreans  are  not  yet  sufficiently  developed  to 
take  hold  themselves  of  a  Sunday-school  organization. 
The  direction  must  therefore,  be  in  the  hands  of  the  mis- 
sionaries. The  machinery  should  be  simple  so  as  not  to 
overload  these  workers  whose  hands  are  already  full.     It 

296 


Korea 

was  felt  by  the  missionaries  that  now  was  the  time  while, 
things  were  molding  so  fast  in  Korea,  to  put  the  Sunday- 
school  work  upon  the  right  foundation,  to  improve  methods 
and  instruction,  perfect  the  lesson  system,  and  produce 
helpful  books  for  teachers  and  workers.  It  was  thought 
advisable  to  have  the  whole  matter  placed  before  the  Coun- 
cil of  Missions  in  their  annual  gathering  in  September. 
Professor  Homer  B.  Hulbert  of  Seoul  was  appointed  to 
serve  meanwhile  as  a  corresponding  secretary,  to  see  that 
the  matter  of  the  appointment  of  a  Sunday  School  Com- 
mittee or  the  organization  of  a  Sunday  School  Association 
was  brought  definitely  before  the  Council.  He  was  also 
asked  to  act  as  a  point  of  contact  with  the  World's  Sun- 
day-school organization. 

A  request  was  also  made  for  the  preparation  of  a  Sunday- 
school  exhibit  for  Korea,  similar  to  the  Japan  exhibit,  to 
suggest  methods  and  stimulate  interest. 

A  teacher-training  course,  it  was  felt,  would  do  great 
good  if  the  right  books  could  be  produced  in  Korean. 
The  books  used  in  the  Japan  course  could  serve  here. 
This  course  could  be  introduced  for  teachers  now  in  the 
Sunday-school,  among  the  older  boys  and  girls  of  the 
Christian  day-schools  at  Chemulpo,  Ping  Yang,  Seoul,  and 
other  places,  and  used  in  the  large  training  classes  of  the 
Presbyterian  and  INIethodist  work. 

The  blackboard  work  could  be  easily  employed  by 
Koreans.  Miss  Darnell's  book,  or  some  other,  could  be 
translated  for  this  purpose. 

In  view  of  the  magnitude  of  the  Sunday-school  work  in 
Korea,  which  in  membership  nearly  equals  Japan's  and  the 
possibilities  of  the  expansion  of  that  work  a  secretary 
should  be  immediately  set  aside  for  it. 

It  would  seem  a  strategic  thing,  yes,  and  a  high  duty 
and  privilege,  for  the  Sunday-school  world  to  put  its  helpful 
touch  upon  Korea  by  the  pledge  of  the  money  for  a  Field 
Secretary.  To  slip  the  opportunity  would  be  a  serious 
loss  to  the  Kingdom. 

297 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

Mexico 

Immediately  following  the  Toronto  Convention  in  1905, 
occurred  the  National  Convention  of  Mexico  at  Guadala- 
jara, July  12-16,  attended  by  a  representative  delegation 
from  21  of  the  27  states.  Probably  50  came  a  distance  of 
1,000  miles  or  more.  No  church  could  accommodate  the 
audiences,  so  the  patio  of  a  modern  sanitarium  was  secured 
and  most  beautifully  and  conveniently  fitted  up  for  the 
occasion. 

Greetings  from  the  International  Association  (including 
the  announcement  of  the  generous  provision  for  $1,000  gold, 
annually,  for  three  years,  to  promote  organized  work  in 
Mexico)  were  received  with  enthusiasm  and  acknowledged 
by  appropriate  resolutions.  In  harmony  with  the  proposed 
conditions,  a  committee  was  promptly  appointed,  held  six 
earnest  and  prayerful  meetings  and  unanimously  requested 
the  Rev.  Eucario  M.  Sein  to  become  general  secretary. 
He  accepted,  to  begin  his  labors  October  i,  and  spent  the 
first  month  gaining  information  about  organized  work  in 
the  United  States. 

The  committee  prepared  a  circular  letter  requesting  each 
Sunday-school  of  Mexico  to  supplement  the  gift  from  the 
International,  to  help  to  provide  a  fund  to  pubhsh  necessary 
literature  in  Spanish.  There  was  a  prompt  and  encour- 
aging response. 

Mrs.  Bryner's  six  weeks'  tour  of  Mexico,  which  fol- 
lowed the  convention,  afforded  opportunity  to  present 
progressive  methods  and  to  urge  hearty  co-operation  with 
the  new  general  secretary.  Everywhere  the  most  cordial 
approval  was  expressed  of  his  appointment.  Numerous 
letters  and  occasional  programs  and  papers  received  show 
that  new  interest  has  been  awakened,  and  the  work  estab- 
lished upon  a  more  permanent  basis.  During  the  1906 
recent  convention  at  Puebla,  word  was  sent,  "We  have 
had  a  very  successful  meeting  for  Sunday-school  work." 

298 


Mexico 

There  is  great  unity  among  all  the  denominations  in 
Mexico.  Comity  prevails  and  union  meetings  are  con- 
stantly held  in  the  larger  towns.  Evil  is  rampant  and 
intemperance  is  a  great  obstacle,  but  the  common  people  are 
rapidly  becoming  familiar  with  world-movements  through 
the  medium  of  the  press.  The  government  is  very  active 
in  the  propagation  of  all  reforms  and  progress  in  industry 
and  education. 

The  latest  Annual  Meeting  of  our  Association  was  the 
best  convention  ever  held  in  this  country.  Our  young 
people  showed  the  effect  of  past  years'  training  in  a  clear 
understanding  of  business,  fruitful  attendance,  and  spiritual 
fervor  in  all  the  gatherings.  The  General  Secretary,  Rev. 
E.  M.  Sein  was  a  leading  and  inspiring  factor  throughout 
the  services.  He  reports  seven  local  conventions  during 
the  year,  has  visited  forty  towns  and  cities,  has  made  i66 
addresses,  and  has  traveled  12,000  miles. 

Special  attention  has  been  given  to  local  conventions,  to 
Temperance  Day,  Decision  Day,  Normal  Classes,  Home 
Department  and  the  Cradle  Roll.  Our  Mexican  Sunday- 
schools  have  contributed  during  the  year  for  the  support 
of  the  work  $1,007.86  as  against  $528.47  in  the  previous  year. 
Any  who  can  appreciate  the  very  limited  means  of  our 
constituency  will  the  more  freely  rejoice  with  us  over  the 
fact  that  the  receipts  have  been  nearly  doubled. 

Our  entire  field  is  missionary  territory.  Our  General 
Secretary  has  been  invited  to  visit  the  cities  of  the  Northwest 
to  inspire  the  workers  and  organize  the  work  in  that  section 
of  the  country.  Indeed,  as  we  look  over  the  great  field  it 
seems  to  us  that  there  is  more  work  than  one  man  can 
possibly  accomplish. 

Note. — Compiled  from  a  report  of  Mrs.  Mary  Foster  Bryner  to 
the  International  Executive  Committee,  and  from  letters  from  the 
Rev.  John  W.  Butler,  President,  and  the  Rev.  C.  Scott  Williams, 
Secretary  and  Treasurer  of  the  Mexican  National  Sunday  School 
Association. 

299 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 
Work  Among  the  Negroes  in  America 

By  Dr.  James  E,  Shepard 

Joseph  Mazzini,  a  great  Italian  leader,  aroused  his 
countrymen  by  the  matchless  words — "Not  my  rights  but 
my  duties."  These  magic  words  permeated  his  whole  life 
and  all  of  his  writings.  If  each  member  of  the  Convention 
could  make  these  words  part  of  his  life,  and  if  he  could  hand 
these  words  down  to  his  fellow-man  as  he  comes  into  contact 
with  him,  and  the  fellow-man  hand  them  down  to  his  fellow- 
man,  it  would  not  be  long  before  the  farthermost  man  in  the 
farthermost  circle  would  be  reached,  and  "Not  my  rights 
but  my  duties"  would  be  the  rallying-cry  of  the  world. 

I  bring  you  a  message  from  ten  million  colored  people  in 
the  United  States  who  are  seeking  to  learn  the  lessons  of 
duty  and,  as  they  learn  these  lessons,  to  impart  them  to  their 
children,  and  thus  will  be  raised  up  a  people  who  will  ever 
be  seeking  to  do  their  duty.  It  is  a  message  of  hope  and 
cheer  that  I  bring.  They  are  learning  the  lesson  of  self-help 
and  recognize  that  this  is  a  God-given  duty.  A  race  that 
has  enjoyed  only  forty-four  years  of  freedom  is  not  strong 
enough  to  stand  alone  in  such  a  period  of  time,  and  yet,  with 
the  tremendous  strides  already  made,  it  cannot  be  altogether 
a  baby  race.  Compared  with  the  other  races  of  the  world, 
however,  it  is  a  very  small  child  indeed.  They  need  the 
guidance,  sympathy,  and  helping  hand,  that  will  rouse 
within  them  a  desire  to  put  forth  greater  efforts  to  help 
themselves. 

Of  the  ten  million  colored  people  in  the  United  States, 
statistics  show  that  2,500,000  are  seeking  an  education,  and 
that  they  have  35,000  public-school  teachers  in  the  United 
States.  This  is  a  very  creditable  showing  along  educational 
lines.  I  regret  to  say,  however,  that  the  figures  are  not  so 
encouraging  along  Sunday-school  lines.  The  religious 
statistics  are  not  at  all  accurate.  Denominations,  in  their 
desire  to  have  large  numbers  and  thus  be  in  the  lead  as  far 
as  numbers  go,  pad  their  statistics.     From  the  most  accurate 

300 


Negro  Work  in  America 

that  can  be  obtained  we  have  only  1,250,000  people  enrolled 
in  the  Sunday-schools  of  all  denominations  among  colored 
people. 

The  Sunday-school  presents  a  most  inviting  field  for  work, 
and  there  is  no  question  about  the  fact  that  if  the  nation  is 
to  be  strong  and  lifted  up  permanently,  it  must  be  done 
through  and  by  the  Sunday-schools.  Above  industrial  and 
above  higher  education,  the  race  needs  a  rehgious  education. 
This  was  strongly  emphasized  in  the  letter  of  greeting  from 
the  distinguished  President  of  the  United  States.  In 
England,  the  elementary  education  of  the  children  began  in 
the  Sunday-school,  and  the  present  educational  system  of 
England  is  due  primarily  to  the  Sunday-schools. 

In  America,  among  the  colored  people  especially,  the 
elementary  education  of  the  children  should  begin  in  the 
Sunday-schools.  A  few  days  ago  I  noticed  that  a  wealthy 
woman  in  America  gave  a  million  dollars  toward  the  ele- 
mentary education  of  the  colored  children  in  the  Southland. 
God  bless  the  giver  and  the  gift,  for  this  was  indeed  a  noble 
thing  and  w^ill  be  far-reaching  in  its  effects  for  good  and  in 
the  lifting  up  of  a  helpless,  struggling  but  ambitious  people. 
If  some  person  could  be  convinced  that  the  foundation  should 
be  first  religious  and  then  induced  to  give  a  million  dollars 
or  even  less  for  the  elementary  education  of  the  colored 
youth  through  the  Sunday-schools,  and  give  to  the  boys  and 
girls  a  high  Christian  ideal  in  the  beginning  of  their  lives, 
what  a  magnitude  of  future  possibihties  would  be  revealed! 
With  trained  teachers,  earnest,  consecrated  w^orkers,  and 
schools  of  methods  along  biblical  lines,  the  foundations  will 
be  safely  laid,  and  such  a  gift  will  do  more  toward  lifting 
up  the  race  and  making  them  better  citizens  than  a  gift 
five  times  as  large  toward  straight-out  education  along 
industrial  or  higher  educational  fines.  God  grant  that  the 
scales  may  fall  from  the  eyes  and  duty  stand  revealed! 
For  the  harvest  truly  is  great,  but  where  are  the  right  kind 
of  reapers? 

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Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

I  believe  in  the  education  of  all  the  people,  and  I  believe 
that  the  State  is  unsafe  when  the  people  are  ignorant  and 
superstitious — an  ignorant  man  is  a  clog  in  the  wheels  of 
progress — but  I  believe  that  Christian  character  should  first 
be  laid  and  after  wisdom  has  thus  been  obtained,  knowledge 
and  wealth  can  easily  be  acquired. 

The  races  of  the  world  need  a  Christian  education,  for 
with  a  Christian  education  will  come  Christian  tolerance 
and  love  which  will  lessen  friction,  bridge  the  chasm  of  hate, 
and  make  a  way  of  peace.  I  wish  that  I  could  stoop  down 
and  lift  up  all  the  children  of  the  descendants  of  the  three 
fathers  of  the  races,  Japheth,  Shem  and  Ham  and,  if  need 
be,  put  them  in  the  clouds  and  tell  them  to  gain  inspiration 
from  the  heavenly  host,  learn  the  lessons  of  duty  to  each 
other  and  to  their  fellow-men  and  disseminate  the  seeds  of 
Christianity  and  kindness  upon  earth.  As  this  cannot  be 
done,  the  only  thing  to  do  is  to  seek  to  gather  the  children 
into  the  Sunday-school,  teach  them  a  new  lesson  of  love  and 
faith,  and  they  will  be  the  ones  who  will  "scatter  seeds  of 
kindness." 

The  United  States  contains  the  largest  Negro  population 
in  the  world  save  Africa.  In  forty-four  years  of  freedom 
from  slavery,  the  progress  along  industrial  and  educational 
lines  has  been  marvelous.  Although  the  wages  paid  in 
a  great  many  sections  of  the  country  are  poor,  a  large  pro- 
portion has  gone  toward  establishing  churches  and  for  their 
support,  and  some  has  gone  toward  the  purchasing  of 
property  and  comfortable  homes.  As  a  laborer,  the  Negro 
is  acceptable;  as  a  soldier  he  has  always  been  found  at  the 
post  of  duty  and  amongst  the  first  to  answer  the  call  of  his 
country;  as  a  friend,  true;  as  a  Christian,  although  he 
practises  backsKding  sometimes,  his  faith  in  God  is  supreme. 
It  is  this  faith  in  God  and  hope  that  has  caused  gladness 
and  songs  of  joy  through  all  the  days  of  gloom  and  darkness 
that  have  passed,  and  will  give  strength  for  the  sorrows  of 
to-morrow. 

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Negro  Work  in  America 

The  International  Sunday  School  Association  of  America 
realized  that  the  hope  of  the  race  lay  in  the  saving  of  the 
young,  and  they  have  sought  for  several  years  to  secure 
a  closer  organization  and  co-operation  of  the  different 
denominations  in  the  United  States  to  work  together  for  the 
purpose  of  discussing  new  methods  and  plans,  equipments 
and  general  improvements  along  Sunday-school  lines.  I  am 
glad  to  say  that  this  has  largely  been  successful,  and  I  could 
cite  you  instance  after  instance  where  the  people  have  been 
directly  benefited  and  helped,  due  to  this  association.  There 
has  been  a  dissatisfaction  with  old  methods  and  old  ways, 
and  longing  after  better  things.  The  leaders  have  had  to 
get  a  "move  on  them"  and  in  many  instances  have  gone  to 
school.  Denominational  lines,  which  have  been  a  great 
drawback  heretofore  to  the  salvation  of  the  people,  are 
largely  disappearing  under  the  benign  influence  of  this 
association.  A  better  understanding  between  the  races  has 
been  brought  about  and  I  beheve  that  if  this  Association 
continues  its  work  among  the  colored  people  in  the  South, 
it  will  not  be  long  before  all  friction  will  entirely  disappear. 
Several  Sunday-schools  have  sprung  up,  Baraca  and  Phila- 
thea  classes  have  been  organized,  county  conventions  and 
Sunday-school  institutes  have  been  held,  and  improvement 
along  general  lines  of  management  and  equipment  has 
been  made. 

To  encourage  self-help  the  International  Association 
agreed  to  pay  half  of  the  salary  and  expenses  of  a  State 
secretary  (the  salary  being  fixed  at  seven  hundred  dollars 
a  year  and  two  hundred  dollars  for  expenses)  providing 
the  colored  people  in  the  state  accepting  the  proposition, 
would  pay  the  other  half.  Under  this  plan,  six  states  have 
state  secretaries  who  are  devoting  their  entire  time  to  the 
work,  seeking  to  reach  and  save  the  unreached  masses. 
You  can  readily  see  what  a  task  we  have  when  8,750,000 
are  not  yet  reached  by  the  Sunday-school.  The  Inter- 
national Association  is  not  able  financially  to  carry  this 

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Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

work  farther,  and,  unless  help  is  secured  and  funds  raised 
from  some  source,  it  must  eventually  be  stopped.  My 
salary  as  General  Superintendent  has  been  guaranteed 
and  is  paid  by  one  man,  Mr.  E.  K.  Warren,  President  of 
the  World's  Fourth  Sunday  School  Convention,  the  salary 
of  one  state  secretary  by  Mr.  W.  N.  Hartshorn.  Will  the 
Christian  men  of  America  and  of  the  world  let  this  glorious 
work  stop  and  bequeath  to  the  children  a  greater  burden 
than  their  fathers  bore?  Every  time  we  shirk  a  duty,  or 
fail  to  look  a  problem  squarely  in  the  face,  we  make  it  greater 
for  our  children. 

Would  that  this  appeal  could  reach  some  hearts  and  they 
could  see  their  duty,  and  not  their  right  to  keep  the  money ! 
Do  you  want  to  save  three-fourths  of  the  world's  popu- 
lation— the  colored  races?  Then  lift  up  the  black  race  in 
America  and  they  will  carry  the  tidings  across  the  oceans 
and  the  marching  tramp  of  millions  redeemed  from  super- 
stition and  idolatry  will  sing  your  praises  in  this  world  and 
in  the  world  to  come. 

I  believe,  Mr.  Chairman,  that  the  redemption  of  the 
colored  races  must  be  largely  effected  by  the  colored  race, 
and  if  you  lift  them  up  they  will  do  it.  There  have  been 
mistakes  made  and  wrongs  committed,  but  let  us  forget 
them,  let  us  overlook  the  mistakes  and  when  we  are  oppressed 
let  the  oppressed  help  the  oppressor  by  humbleness  and 
kindness  and  exemplify  in  daily  life  true  Christianity. 
There  are  many,  not  among  this  audience,  however,  who 
criticize  the  progress  and  oppose  the  steps  of  advancement 
which  are  put  forward  for  the  Negro,  and  they  say  that 
freedom  was  a  mistake. 

A  soldier  was  wounded  upon  a  battle-field  and  was  brought 
into  the  hospital.  The  surgeon,  after  a  careful  examination, 
said,  "My  dear  fellow,  I  fear  there  is  little  hope  for  you,  and, 
if  there  is  any  message  or  anything  that  I  can  do  for  you, 
let  me  know  before  it  is  too  late."  The  soldier,  with 
a  twinkle  in  his  eye,  said,  "Doctor,  there  is  no  hope?" 

304 


Negro  Work  in  America 

The  doctor  said,  ''No."  ''Then,  doctor,"  said  he,  "feel 
in  my  breast  pocket."  The  doctor  did  so  and  found  a  five 
dollar  bill.  The  soldier  asked  the  doctor  to  look  at  it  care- 
fully and  tell  him  what  it  was.  The  doctor  said,  "A  five- 
dollar  bill!"  The  soldier  replied,  "Then  doctor,  I  bet  you 
that  five-dollar  bill  that  I  will  get  well,"  and  he  did.  To 
those  who  believe  that  the  emancipation  was  a  mistake  and 
that  the  race  will  eventually  fail,  I  would  say,  "You  have 
not  carefully  examined  into  the  case.  The  thousands  of 
black  faces  seeking  for  the  light  prove  the  fallacy  of  the 
argument;  they  have  caught  its  shadow  and  their  eyes  are 
turned  to  the  sun.  Just  as  soon  as  they  catch  its  gleam, 
they  will  arise  and  lift  up  their  fellows  and  I  will  bet  you  the 
five-dollar  bill  that  the  race  will  not  fail." 

I  bring  to  you  the  thanks  of  the  race  for  all  that  you  have 
done,  and  for  all  that  you  intend  to  do,  and  to  tell  you  that 
they  only  want  a  chance  in  the  race  of  fife,  that  they  are  not 
whining,  but  are  trying  to  work  out  their  salvation  with  fear 
and  trembling.  They  need  further  help  until  they  are  able 
to  stand  alone,  and  the  kindness  you  show  to  them  they  will 
return  to  you  or  to  your  children. 

A  beautiful  German  story  is  told  of  a  hunchbacked  girl, 
the  only  child  of  her  parents.  The  mother  was  very  thought- 
ful and  careful  about  this  child.  She  never  let  her  know 
that  she  was  a  hunchback,  she  was  not  allowed  to  look  in  the 
glass;  whenever  she  went  out  her  mother  was  with  her,  so 
that  she  did  not  know  that  she  was  not  like  other  girls. 
But  this  mother  died  after  a  few  years  and  the  father, 
married  again.  The  stepmother  never  would  take  her 
out,  but  left  her  alone.  One  day  the  little  hunchbacked 
girl  asked  her  stepmother  to  take  her  out  for  a  walk  as  her 
own  mother  used  to  do.  The  stepmother  replied," Why! 
take  a  hunchbacked  girl  out  for  a  walk!  Everybody  would 
look  at  you  and  laugh !  No,  the  place  for  little  hunchbacks 
is  at  home."  The  child  turned  away  grieved,  she  looked 
in  the  glass  and  sure  enough,  she  found  that  she  was  a 

305 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  x\round 

hunchback.  It  preyed  upon  her  mind  and  a  few  weeks 
afterward  she  became  ill  and  just  before  she  died  she 
dreamed  that  she  saw  an  angel,  and  he  came  to  her  and  in 
such  tender  tones  he  said,  "Little  girl,  do  you  want  to  go  to 
heaven  to  see  your  mamma?  She  said,  **No,  they  do  not 
want  little  hunchbacks  in  heaven."  He  said,  "Oh,  you  are 
not  hunchbacked,"  and  he  touched  the  place  on  her  back 
where  the  hunch  was,  and  it  fell  off,  and  in  its  place  there 
came  a  pair  of  wings,  and  the  little  girl  flew  right  to  heaven 
into  her  mother's  arms. 

If  our  friends  will  stop  talking  about  the  mistakes  and  the 
failures  and  stop  chiding  and  telling  us  that  we  are  not  like 
other  folks,  after  a  while  the  hunch  of  mistakes  and  super- 
stitions and  ignorance  will  fall  away  and  in  their  place  will 
come  wings  of  peace  and  intelligence,  and  an  honest  desire 
to  be  honest  men  and  virtuous  women,  and  with  these  we 
will  rise  above  all  the  obstacles  and  difficulties  and  take  our 
places  in  the  foremost  ranks  of  the  forward  nations;  and  you 
can  be  the  angels  to  touch  the  hunch  so  that  it  will  fall  off — 

"  For  there  is  never  a  rose  in  all  the  world,  but  makes  some  green 

spray  sweeter; 
There's  never  a  wind  in  all  the  sky  but  makes  some  bird's  wing 

fleeter. 
There's  never  a  star  but  brings  to  earth  some  silvery  radiance 

splendor, 
And  never  a  sun-lit  cloud  but  helps  to  crown  the  sunset  splendor; 
No  robin  but  may  cheer  some  heart,  its  dawnlight  gladness  voicing. 
God  gives  us  all  some  small,  sweet  way  to  set  the  world  rejoicing." 


Norway 

By  Pastor  J.  M.  Sellevold 

It  is  a  great  pleasure  for  the  committee  of  the  Sunday- 
school  Union  of  Norway — the  Land  of  the  Midnight  Sun — 
to  send  a  Christian  greeting  to  such  an  important  meeting 

306 


Norway 

a?  this  convened  in  the  city  of  Rome,  where  the  gospel  of 
Jesus  Christ  was  represented  in  apostoHc  times  by  the 
Apostle  Paul. 

It  gives  a  happy  opportunity  too,  to  give  an  account  of  the 
Sunday-school  work  in  Norway.     In  our  country,  Sunday- 
school  work  had  its  origin  together  with  the  Evangelical 
Free  Churches,  in  about  1850-1860.     The  beginning  was 
limited  both  in  Church  and  Sunday-school  work  and  it  was 
about  twenty  years  before  it  took  hold  among  the  people. 
The  first  Sunday-school  missionary  was  appointed,   with 
financial  aid  from  London,  in  1877.     Since  then  the  work 
gradually   gained   a   better   footing,    Sunday-schools   were 
organized  in  various  parts  of  the  country  and  two  Sunday- 
school  missionaries  were  appointed  to  give  their  whole  time 
to  this  work.     In  1898  the  country  was  divided  into  three 
districts.     Three  missionaries  were  put  at  work,  one  for 
each  district.     The  work  of  these  missionaries  has  mainly 
been  among  the  Free  Church  people,  but  they  have  also 
done  all  the  work  they  found  opportunity  to  do  in  the 
established  State  Church  circles.     This  church  body  has 
taken  up  active  Sunday-school  work,  too,  in  later  years  and 
is  now  carrying  on  quite  a  prosperous  work  in  this  line, 
especially  in  the  cities. 

The  combined  Sunday-school  work  of  the  Free  Churches 
of  Norway  is  organized  under  the  name  of  The  Norwegian 
Sunday-school  Union.  It  has  a  head  committee  of  seven 
members  located  in  the  capital  city,  Christiania.  The 
country  is  divided  into  three  districts,  each  having  a  district 
committee  of  its  own  and  a  missionary,  who  gives  his  whole 
time  to  this  special  work.  The  union  is  using  the  Inter- 
national Sunday-school  Lessons,  and  issues  the  lessons  with 
eight  to  ten  thousand  copies  every  year.  The  International 
Bible  Reading  cards  have  been  printed  in  editions  of  six  to 
ten  thousand  copies  yearly.  The  Sunday-school  Teacher, 
a  monthly  journal  especially  adapted  for  the  benefit  of  the 
Sunday-school  teachers,  is  published  by  the  Union.     To 

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Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

care  for  the  literary  work,  the  correspondence,  and  keeping 
headquarters  for  our  Sunday-school  literature  and  reporting 
to  the  Sunday  School  Union  in  London,  an  editor  and 
secretary  is  appointed.  Spiritual  revivals  have  done  a  very 
good  work  among  our  people  from  time  to  time,  and  the 
seed  planted  in  the  hearts  of  the  children  in  Sunday-school 
has  again  and  again  proved  to  yield  the  largest  fruit  when 
the  Spirit  of  God  visited  the  people.  Every  spiritual 
movement  shows  the  fact  that  the  young  people  and  the 
children  together  give  by  far  the  largest  percentage  to  the 
Church  of  God.  This  fact  makes  the  Sunday-school  work 
the  most  hopeful  of  all  our  Christian  work  in  Norway  and 
it  encourages  us  to  continue  along  this  line  with  all  the 
energy,  wisdom  and  strength  that  we  can  put  into  the  work. 
The  statistical  side  of  our  work  is  perhaps  not  the 
strongest.  At  different  times  we  have  tried  to  get  a  Sunday- 
school  census  taken;  last  year  the  missionaries  were  asked 
to  gather  as  good  statistical  information  as  they  could.  The 
figures  obtained  showed  an  enrolment  of  25,000  to  27,000 
children  in  the  Sunday-schools  that  may  be  counted  as  in 
line  with  our  Sunday  School  Union,  the  Evangelical  Free 
Churches  of  Norway.  The  number  of  Sunday-schools  may 
be  estimated  at  three  hundred  and  twenty-five  and  the 
number  of  male  and  female  teachers  at  two  thousand. 
Our  three  missionaries  are  traveling  throughout  the  country 
all  the  year  round,  sailing  along  our  stormy  coast  and 
enduring  hardships  in  various  ways.  Their  work  is  a  many- 
sided  one:  Children's  meetings,  teachers'-meetings,  public 
sermons,  addresses  to  parents,  showing  biblical  and  his- 
torical magic  lantern  pictures,  collecting  money  for  the 
work,  etc.  The  number  of  meetings  held  of  various  kinds 
is  about  a  hundred  every  three  months  for  each  missionary, 
making  the  number  of  meetings  in  the  special  interest  of 
Sunday-school  work  1,600  every  year,  in  connection  with 
our  Union.  A  half  dozen  children's  and  young  people's 
papers  are  published  among  the  various  Free  Church  bodies 

308 


^       %^ 


H 


Palestine 

in  Norway  and  at  least  the  sum  of  eight  thousand  crowns 
used  in  the  missionary  work,  besides  money  for  the  running 
expenses  of  the  schools. 

The  precious  seed  of  the  Word  of  God  is  beginning  to 
give  its  blessed  fruit  year  by  year,  and  many  examples 
might  be  given  showing  that  through  the  hearts  of  the 
children  the  way  has  been  opened  to  the  parents  and  the 
home.  But  when  it  is  realized  that  about  three  to  four 
hundred  thousand  of  the  children  of  Norway  are  not  yet 
gathered  in  Sunday-schools,  it  appeals  strongly  to  us  to 
press  onward  in  this  great  work. 

It  is  with  sincere  thankfulness  that  we  acknowledge  the 
noble  and  valuable  aid  our  work  has  received  from  the 
Sunday  School  Union  of  London.  A  great  deal  of  the 
success  our  Sunday-school  w^ork  has  gained  may  be  ascribed 
to  this  agency,  and  it  is  a  great  pleasure  for  us  as  a  Sunday 
School  Union  of  Norway  to  give  our  friends  in  England  our 
sincerest  thanks,  hoping  they  may  continue  this  blessed 
work  for  the  Master  among  us. 


Palestine 

By  the  Rev.  A.  E.  Thompson 

When  the  World's  Fourth  Sunday  School  Convention 
met  in  Jerusalem,  an  earnest  effort  w^as  made  to  encourage 
work  of  all  kinds  among  the  children  of  the  Holy  Land. 
With  the  hope  of  increasing  the  number  of  Sunday-schools 
and  assisting  those  already  established  to  do  more  effective 
work,  the  Palestine  Sunday  School  Association  was  organ- 
ized at  that  time,  and  an  amount  of  money  contributed  for 
Association  purposes.  While  there  has  not  been  any 
marked  development  in  the  three  years  w^hich  have  inter- 
vened, it  can  be  safely  said  that  there  has  been  more  attention 
paid  than  formerly  to  this  distinctive  work.  The  Association 
has  supplied  lesson  helps  in  Arabic,  free  of  cost,  to  any  school 
desiring  them,  and  the  International  Lessons  are  coming 

309 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

into  more  general  use.  Attempts  have  been  made  to  secure 
the  services  of  a  trained  American  worker  to  make  a  tour 
of  the  schools  of  the  land,  and  also  to  send  a  local  deputation 
over  the  field,  but  the  right  man  has  not  been  found  for 
either  purpose.  A  most  hearty  interest  has  been  taken  in 
the  Association  both  in  America  and  Great  Britain  and  the 
Scottish  National  Union  has  made  a  liberal  donation  to  our 
funds. 

The  Bible  instruction  in  all  our  mission  schools  is  so 
thorough,  and  the  number  of  children  touched  by  mission- 
aries outside  of  the  ordinary  school  work  is  so  small,  that 
many  do  not  see  the  same  need  for  Sunday-schools  as  is 
realized  in  the  home  field.  The  Secretary  of  the  Church 
Missionary  Society,  the  oldest  and  largest  general  mission 
work  here,  reports  that  they  have  about  fifty  day-schools 
for  boys  and  girls,  in  twenty-eight  towns  and  villages, 
scattered  over  Galilee,  Samaria,  Judea,  Phihstia,  and 
Gilead,  besides  a  Girls'  Orphanage  in  Nazareth,  a  Girls' 
Boarding-school  in  Bethlehem  and  Bishop  Gobat's  school 
for  boys  and  the  English  College  in  Jerusalem.     He  says: 

"In  all  of  these  the  teaching  of  Scripture,  and  in  almost 
all  the  memorizing  of  parts  of  it,  form  an  integral  part  of 
the  school  curriculum.  It  cannot  be  gainsaid  that  it  would 
be  much  more  politic  to  dispense  with  Sunday-school  than 
to  lose  the  opportunity  afforded  of  imparting  Bible  truth  on 
the  five  school-days  of  the  week.  As  a  matter  of  fact, 
however,  a  Sunday-school  is  conducted  in  most  if  not  all 
cases,  for  those  children  who  can  be  gathered  together. 
In  some  places  they  also  attend  the  church  services,  while 
in  Jerusalem  and  Nazareth  children's  services  are  held  in 
the  church  once  a  month." 

What  has  been  said  of  the  Bible  teaching  in  the  Church 
Missionary  Society  schools  holds  true  of  most  schools  in  the 
land.  The  list  is  a  long  one,  including  boarding  and  day- 
schools,  conducted  by  the  London  Jews'  Society,  the  English 
Bishop,  two  German  Societies,  the  New  England  Society 

310 


Russia 

of  Friends,  the  Christian  and  Missionary  Alliance,  the 
United  Free  Church  of  Scotland,  Miss  Ford,  Miss  Arnott, 
Miss  Lovell  and  Miss  Dunn;  and  the  field  covered  includes 
all  the  principal  centers  and  some  villages.  With  such 
forces  at  work  we  are  sure  that  the  Bible  will  not  soon 
become  a  neglected  book  here. 

While  the  Bible  lesson  is  daily  bread  in  these  schools,  and 
the  International  Lesson,  or  a  substitute  for  it,  is  studied 
by  a  large  part  of  the  school  population  on  Sunday,  dis- 
tinctive Sunday-school  work  in  a  larger  sense  has  been 
attempted  with  marked  success  in  some  missions.  Both 
the  Friends  and  the  Christian  and  Missionary  Alliance 
regard  it  as  one  of  the  most  important  factors  of  their  work 
and  have  adopted  up-to-date  methods.  That  Sunday- 
schools  can  be  conducted  apart  from  day-schools,  or  even 
general  mission  work,  is  demonstrated  in  one  place  where 
a  Sunday-school  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  urchins  of  all 
degrees  of  untidiness,  has  been  gathered  in  a  girls'  boarding 
school  which  has  no  such  adjuncts.  The  peculiarities  of 
this  field  may  impede  the  forward  march  of  the  Sunday- 
school  for  a  time,  but  we  believe  the  Association  will  yet 
report  such  progress  as  will  bring  joy  to  those  who  inaugu- 
rated it. 


Russia 

By  Herr  John  Hanisch 

The  report  which  is  herewith  submitted  to  you  can  in  the 
nature  of  the  case  be  called  only  an  attempt  at  reporting,  for 
the  territory  is  so  vast  and  the  circumstances  in  the  various 
parts  of  the  empire  so  different.  Russia  is  to-day  an  empire 
with  a  population  of  one  hundred  and  fifteen  millions  in  the 
European  and  fourteen  millions  in  the  Asiatic  part  of  the 
empire.  Yet  the  late  political  and  religious  development 
has  made  this  immense  territory  in  all  its  parts  and  provinces 
ready  for  the  reception  of  the  gospel.     You  are  just  now 

311 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

especially  interested  in  the  Sunday-school  work  done  in  this 
great  country,  hence  I  shall  attempt  to  give  you  a  survey  of 
that  work,  and  in  order  to  do  so  I  must  classify  the  inhabi- 
tants according  to  their  church  relations. 

1.  Work  among  the  Roman  Catholics.  These  are 
mostly  Poles,  and  Sunday-school  work  among  them  is 
chiefly  carried  on  by  Baptists.  It  is  greatly  hindered  by  the 
influence  of  the  priests  and  the  prejudice  against  God's 
Word.  At  Lodz,  Warsaw  in  Poland,  and  in  Valhynia 
there  are  Sunday-schools  conducted  by  Baptists  and  attended 
by  Polish  Catholic  children.  Mr.  Herb  who  labors  among 
the  Poles  is  an  enthusiastic  promoter  of  Sunday-school  work. 

2.  Work  among  the  Lutherans.  In  the  Baltic  provinces 
Sunday-schools  are  among  the  Lettes,  Esthonians  and 
Germans,  in  other  parts  only  among  Germans.  Since  Free 
Churches  have  sprung  up  among  them,  they  have  begun  to 
establish  Sunday-schools,  the  attendance  at  which  is  com- 
pulsory for  their  own  children,  who  are  not  allowed  to  go  to 
any  other.  As  far  as  I  know  the  children  are  grouped  in 
classes,  but  the  Lutheran  Sunday-schools  have  not  intro- 
duced the  International  Lessons. 

3.  The  so-called  Free  Churches  are  as  yet  very  weak, 
there  being  only  a  few  of  them  in  Poland.  As  far  as  they 
could  be  reached  and  influenced  by  us,  they  have  adopted 
the  International  Lessons.  They  report  only  four  Sunday- 
schools  with  six  teachers  and  one  hundred  and  sixty  scholars. 

4.  The  Mennonites  who  settled  in  the  southern  part  of 
Russia  and  in  the  Crimea  are  descendants  of  Germans  who 
emigrated  thither  some  hundred  years  ago.  They  are 
divided  into  two  different  bodies,  namely  such  as  baptize  at 
a  certain  age,  and  such  as  require  conversion  before  bap- 
tism by  immersion.  My  report  refers  to  the  latter  only. 
They  have  their  own  day-schools,  with  able  Christian 
teachers  who  devote  much  time  and  strength  to  Bible  study. 
On  account  of  this  arrangement  Sunday-school  work  has 
not  the  significance  to  them  which  it  has  to  other  denomina- 

312 


Russia 

tit)ns.  They,  have  their  own  Sunday-school  agent  and 
a  child's  paper.  The  Sunday-school  missionary,  Brother 
Witt  has  visited  them  also  and  was  cordially  received;  but 
they  could  not  be  induced  to  adopt  the  International  Lessons 
and  join  the  International  Bible  Reading  Association. 
Even  at  their  last  conference  they  declined  the  lesson  plan 
and  arranged  one  of  their  own.  If  it  can  be  arranged  so  as 
to  let  us  have  the  lesson  topics  at  an  early  date  so  that  we  can 
adapt  it  to  the  Russian  calendar  (Julian)  there  may  be 
a  possibility  of  introducing  them.  It  was  not  possible  to 
get  an  exact  statistical  report,  but  there  are  among  the 
Mennonites  about  three  hundred  Sunday-schools,  having 
six  hundred  teachers  and  ten  thousand  scholars. 

5.  The  work  among  the  Baptists  has  thus  far  been 
chiefly  among  the  Germans.  But  of  the  two  hundred  and 
eighty-nine  Sunday-schools  reported  last  year,  eighty-five 
were  Lettes  and  fourteen  Esthonians.  Among  the  Russians 
progress  is  even  greater,  but  of  that  I  shall  speak  separately. 
Besides  these,  there  are  a  few  Polish  and  Bohemian  Sunday- 
schools  in  Poland  and  Volhynia.  Counting  all  the  Sunday- 
schools  of  the  non-Russian  Baptists  there  are  three  hundred 
and  fifty  Sunday-schools,  eleven  hundred  teachers  and 
twelve  thousand  scholars.  These  Sunday-schools  are 
scattered  through  the  Baltic  provinces,  Poland,  Volhynia, 
the  country  along  the  Black  Sea,  the  Dnieper,  Volga  and 
Don  rivers  as  far  as  the  Kaukasus,  and  into  Siberia.  Since 
Mr.  Witt  has  traveled  through  these  regions  the  number 
of  Sunday-schools  has  greatly  increased.  Among  the 
Baptist  churches  Sunday-school  work  is  considered  a  very 
important  branch.  Their  Sunday-schools  in  Poland,  where 
the  same  calendar  is  used  as  in  western  Europe  have  used 
the  International  Lessons  from  their  first  introduction — in 
other  Sunday-schools  they,  as  well  as  the  class  system,  have 
been  gradually  introduced.  The  scholars  have  the  Bible 
reading  lessons  with  notes  given  them,  the  teachers  are 
members  of  the  International  Bible  Reading  Association. 

3^3 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

A  teachers'  monthly  is  a  thing  we  need  very  much. 
Children's  papers  are  published  in  German,  Lettish  and 
Esthonian  languages. 

Now,  I  shall  speak  of  the  work  among  the  Russians 
proper.  As  is  well-known,  this  can  only  be  spoken  of  since 
the  manifesto  of  October  17-30,  1905.  The  editor  of 
their  paper.  The  Christian,  wrote  me  from  Petersburg  that 
they  had  had  no  time  to  collect  statistical  figures  as  the 
work  is  taking  up  all  of  their  -time  and  is  growing  rapidly. 
With  the  consent  of  Mr.  Waters,  the  father  of  the  Inter- 
national Bible  Reading  Association,  the  International 
reading  lessons  have  been  translated  into  the  Russian 
language  by  Mr.  Prochonow  who  issued  them  in  the  form 
of  a  calendar.  So  much  is  certain,  the  work  among  the 
Russians — including  the  Sunday-school  work — has  devel- 
oped in  an  unexpected  and  unprecedented  way  and  is  most 
hopeful,  provided  that  the  laborers  are  forthcoming  who 
are  needed.  The  Russian  people  long  for  the  Gospel,  as 
the  following  example  will  show.  At  Odessa  two  halls 
have  been  rented  having  room  for  thirteen  to  fifteen  hundred 
people  and  already  a  third  preaching  hall  is  needed  to  receive 
the  crowds  that  come.  The  two  Sunday-schools  which 
were  started  a  year  ago  have  over  three  hundred  children. 
The  conditions  at  Kiev,  Moscow  and  Petersburg  are  similar. 
A  Sunday-school  missionary  could  do  a  good  work  now 
among  the  Russians,  if  we  had  the  man  and  the  means  to 
support  him. 

The  sum  total  in  Russia  is  about  one  thousand  Sunday- 
schools;  twenty-five  hundred  teachers;  twenty-five  thousand 
scholars  speaking  the  German,  Polish,  Czech,  Lettish, 
Esthonian  and  Russian  languages.  Among  all  these  there 
is  one — only  one,  Sunday-school  missionary.  May  the 
time  soon  come  when  at  least  half  a  dozen  are  employed. 
The  one  appointed  by  the  Mennonite  Brethren  cannot  be 
counted,  as  he  travels  about  only  at  intervals,  and  is  really 
not  a  missionary,  but  a  supervisor  of  their  own  Sunday- 

314 


Russia 

school  work.  You  will  easily  see  what  that  means,  when 
you  think  of  the  immense  territory,  the  incomplete  railroad 
system  and  the  dreary,  pathless  regions  of  our  land.  In  the 
South  and  in  Volhynia  circuit  secretaries  have  been  appointed 
to  visit  the  schools  occasionally  and  encourage  them  in  their 
work.  For  the  Sunday-school  missionary,  a  journey  of 
four  thousand  kilometers,  of  these  one  hundred  to  one 
hundred  and  fifty  in  one  day  by  wagon  or  sleigh,  wrapped 
in  double  furs  and  caps,  is  nothing  unusual.  Often  the 
way  is  lost,  or  the  horses  fall  into  steep  ditches.  He  has  to 
pass  the  night  in  the  open  steppe  in  the  winter's  cold  or  in 
a  miserable  hut,  bare  of  every  necessity,  where  a  wooden 
form  is  the  only  thing  he  can  have  to  rest  on.  It  is  no 
wonder,  then,  that  under  such  circumstances  the  missionary 
returns  from  a  tour  of  several  months  exhausted  and  often 
quite  ill,  cheered  on  to  further  work  only  by  the  success 
which  has  attended  his  labors.  Nor  is  it  surprising  that  it 
is  so  difficult  to  find  the  right  kind  of  men;  for,  aside  from 
other  things,  they  need  to  know  at  least  the  German  and 
Russian  languages  and  if  possible,  Lettish  and  Esthonian; 
and  above  all  things  else  to  have  a  sound  and  healthy 
constitution. 

Still,  the  encouragements  are  not  wanting.  The  children 
are  most  eager  to  come;  if  they  are  snowed  in  and  see  no 
other  way  of  getting  out  of  the  house  they  crawl  up  through 
the  chimney  to  attend  the  Sunday-school.  The  adults  are 
willing  to  leave  the  plough  to  take  up  the  Sunday-school 
work.  Even  the  want  of  suitable  clothing  does  not  keep  the 
children  at  home;  if  a  boy  has  no  suitable  coat  of  his  own 
he  puts  on  his  father's,  or  he  borrows  his  sister's  dress,  so 
it  happens  that  often  boys  and  girls  cannot  be  distinguished. 
The  want  of  schools,  and  hence,  the  lack  of  education  even 
among  the  Christians,  makes  it  very  difficult  to  obtain  the 
necessary  teaching  force  for  the  Sunday-schools. 

Dear  Christian  friends,  here  is  a  people  calling  for 
workers  as  no  other.     Our  people  do  all  they  can  to  send 

315 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

more  workers  into  the  harvest.  Teacher's  Institutes  are 
arranged,  summer  schools  are  held  at  much  sacrifice.  Rus- 
sia's cry  for  helpers  should  reach  the  heart  of  this  Convention. 
I  can  assure  you,  dear  fellow- workers,  Russia  needs  and 
deserves  your  consideration  and  your  help.  We  ought  to 
have  at  least  one  more  Sunday-school  missionary,  so  that 
we  could  divide  the  land  into  two  sections,  an  eastern  and 
a  western.  Such  a  division  would  make  the  journeys 
shorter  and  cheaper,  the  seasons  of  rest  could  be  shorter 
and  much  more  work  would  be  accompHshed.  Two 
workers  would  cost  much  less  than  twice  the  amount  for 
one,  but  they  would  accomphsh  far  more  than  twice  the 
work  that  one  can  do,  and  we  could  more  easily  find  the 
men.  We  now  expend  from  four  to  five  hundred  rubles 
traveling  expenses  annually  for  one  man  and  that  is  more 
than  half  the  salary  for  one  man.  May  the  Lord  show 
you,  dear  brethren,  what  may  be  your  duty  towards  Russia 
in  this  most  important  crisis. 


Spain 

By  Pastor  Francisco  Albricias 

The  enemies  of  the  gospel  say  that  Spain  will  never 
become  evangelical,  and  unfortunately,  the  success  of  the 
gospel  cause  in  Spain  up  to  the  present  has  not  been  very 
great.  For  this  reason  we  need  to  work  fervently  among 
the  young.  There  are  at  present  about  one  hundred  Sunday- 
schools  in  Spain,  with  about  sixty-five  hundred  scholars. 

I  wish  to  say  a  few  words  particularly  about  our  own 
work  at  AHcante,  which  is  about  half  way  down  the  east 
coast  between  Barcelona  and  Gibraltar.  This  work  began 
about  ten  years  ago.  It  is  not  under  the  auspices  of  any 
society.  At  the  present  time  there  are  in  our  day-school 
about  three  hundred  and  fifty  pupils.  These  pupils  pay 
their  school  fees,  and  thus  produce  about  half  the  income 
needed  to  keep  up  the  whole  mission.     But  the  most  suc- 

316 


Spain 

cessful  part  of  our  work  is  the  Sunday-school.  It  began 
as  a  very  humble  affair  indeed,  but  now  it  has  an  attendance 
of  about  twelve  hundred  pupils.  We  have  two  other 
subsidiary  schools,  with  an  attendance  of  about  sixty  or 
seventy  each. 

Although  the  time  for  the  Sunday-school  is  lo  o'clock  on 
Sunday  morning,  not  a  few  children  appear  as  early  as 
8  o'clock.  We  open  the  doors  and  take  care  of  them. 
Four  of  the  scholars  begin  to  play  on  tambourines  in  the 
inner  court  connected  with  the  school  building.  About 
half  an  hour  before  time  for  beginning  Sunday-school,  the 
Director  goes  out  with  scholars  and  with  these  tambourines, 
and  they  march  through  the  principal  streets,  and  by  the 
time  they  come  back  to  the  school  they  have  about  a  thousand 
children. 

In  Spain  there  is  not  religious  liberty  granted  to  us,  but 
we  take  it! 

The  buildings  are  comparatively  small,  but  we  have  two 
halls  and  into  these  we  pack  about  six  hundred  each.  I 
speak  to  the  larger  children  in  one  of  the  halls  long  enough 
to  explain  to  them  the  Sunday-school  lesson.  After  they 
have  listened,  and  sung  hymns,  and  prayer  has  been  offered, 
the  doors  are  shut,  and  then  the  magic  lantern  is  brought 
out. 

When  they  have  been  there  with  the  door  shut,  and 
the  windows  shut,  six  hundred  children  packed  in  that 
little  building,  they  do  not  suffer  from  the  cold.  Once 
this  first  batch  has  been  dispatched,  the  second  contingent 
comes  in  from  the  other  hall,  eager  to  see  the  magic  lantern 
slides.  They  have  had,  in  the  meantime,  the  Sunday-school 
lesson  also. 

Sunday-schools  in  most  parts  of  the  world  last  about  an 
hour,  but  here  they  begin  at  8  o'clock  in  the  morning  and 
it  is  about  midday  before  they  end.  This  is  only  the 
beginning  of  what  will  yet  be  in  Spain,  with  the  blessing  of 
God. 

317 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 
Sweden 

By  Herr  August  Palm 

The  whole  world  has  great  reason  to  thank  England  for 
the  blessed  idea  of  Sunday-school  work;  but  Sweden  has 
still  more  reason.  And  we  are  very  happy  for  this  oppor- 
tunity to  express  our  heartiest  thanks  to  our  English  brethren 
for  all  they  have  done  for  the  young  in  our  country. 

We  have  not  only  got  the  idea  from  England.  An 
English  lady,  daughter  of  an  English  Consul  in  Stockholm, 
organized  the  very  first  modern  Sunday-school  in  Sweden, 
in  1833,  but  great  opposition  from  clergy  and  others  killed 
the  work.  An  English  Wesleyan  missionary,  the  Reverend 
George  Scott,  organized  the  second  Sunday-school  in 
Stockholm  two  years  later;  but  he  had  to  flee  to  England 
on  account  of  persecution  (the  people  would  have  stoned 
him),  and  his  little  Sunday-school  plant  was  destroyed. 

During  the  following  sixteen  years  several  Sunday-schools 
were  organized  by  Christian  Swedes  both  in  the  Capital 
and  other  cities,  but  continued  only  for  a  short  time.  In 
185 1  the  example  of  the  Sunday-school  friends  in  London 
was  of  the  greatest  blessing  to  us.  Mr.  Per  Palmquist, 
a  teacher  in  Prince  Carlo's  School  in  Stockholm — our 
Robert  Raikes, — and  a  countess,  Lady  Ehrenborg,  among 
others,  visited  the  exhibition  in  London.  Both  of  them 
saw  the  Sunday-school  work  there  and  became  deeply 
interested  in  it.  Upon  their  return  they  tried  to  put  into 
practise  what  they  had  seen.  Mr.  Palmquist,  who  was  an 
inspector  for  the  poor,  invited  some  of  the  poorer  children 
on  Christmas  Eve  to  his  house.  He  did  not  dare  to  invite 
his  own  school  children.  If  he  were  quite  true  to  the 
example  seen,  I  am  not  sure  but  that  he  opened  his  Sunday- 
school  with  a  big  portion  of  porridge  and  milk.  At  any 
rate,  the  school  was  organized  and  became  the  parent 
Sunday-school  for  the  Free  Churches  in  Sweden,  and  is 
still  prospering  in  the  First  Baptist  Church  in  Stockholm. 

318 


Sweden 

A  year  later  Lady  Ehrenborg,  knowing  nothing  of  Mr. 
Palmquist's  school,  began  a  course  of  training  for  teachers, 
and  in  the  following  year,  1853,  she  organized  a  Sunday- 
school,  which  in  the  same  way  became  the  private  School 
of  the  Established  Church.  The  Sunday-school  Union  of 
London,  having  heard  of  this  beginning,  wrote  an  encour- 
aging letter  to  Mr.  Palmquist,  and  asked  him  to  visit  other 
places  and  organize  schools,  and  enclosed  £25  for  traveling 
expenses.  He  did  so,  and  schools  were  organized  in  Upsala, 
Gefle,  Nerike  and  other  places. 

During  the  first  twenty  years  the  work  went  on  rather 
slowly.  But  in  187 1,  a  Sunday-school  Union  was  organzied 
in  the  province  of  Nerike.  Our  dear  Brethren  in  the  London 
Sunday  School  Union  sent  a  delegate  to  its  first  annual 
meeting.  After  this  begins  another  period.  Through  the 
help  of  the  Sunday  School  Union  in  London  a  missionary 
was  engaged,  a  periodical  with  an  explanation  of  the  text 
and  hints  for  teachers  w^as  printed;  hymn-books  for  children 
were  prepared.  The  missionary  not  only  reorganized  the 
old  Sunday-school  and  organized  new  Sunday-schools,  but 
provincial  Sunday  School  Unions  were  organized  in  various 
districts.  New  missionaries  w^ere  engaged,  training  courses 
for  teachers  were  held  and  the  work  began  to  prosper  as 
never  before.  More  help  was  received  from  London,  more 
missionaries,  more  work  and  more  blessings.  At  last 
twenty  faithful  missionaries  were  on  the  field.  In  1894, 
the  different  provincial  unions  w^re  united  in  the  Swedish 
Sunday  School  Union.  Last  year  this  Union  had  nineteen 
missionaries  on  the  field,  of  which  fourteen  work  during  the 
whole  year.  Beside  these  the  Baptist  Union  supports  three 
or  four  missionaries  annually.  The  Congregationalists  also 
carry  on  a  missionary  w^ork  through  the  preachers,  who  at 
the  same  time  are  a  kind  of  Sunday-school  missionaries. 
And  still  we  have  several  large  provinces  and  very  wide 
districts  in  other  provinces,  where  the  Sunday-schools  are 
scarcely  known.     But  we  hope  to  be  able  to  reach  even 

319 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

them,  by  and  by.  In  the  province  of  Herjeadalen,  far  east, 
there  are  only  a  few  schools  and  one  chapel  in  the  whole 
province. 

And  now,  what  has  the  Sunday-school  done  for  Sweden? 
Very  much.  Remember  that  the  Sunday-school  was 
organized  185 1,  before  the  Free  Churches  (Baptists,  Metho- 
dists and  Congregationalists)  were  introduced  to  Sweden. 
Here  and  there  were  some  few  Christians.  They  were  too 
few  in  number  to  organize  a  church,  but  a  Sunday-school, 
however,  could  be  taught  by  them.  God  blessed  this  work, 
souls  were  converted  and  the  Christians  were  multiplied. 
Then  churches  were  organized  and  churches  and  chapels 
erected. 

The  Sunday-school  missionary  has  in  a  great  many  districts 
opened  the  way  for  the  preacher.  The  Sunday-school  has 
had  more  to  do  with  religious  life  among  elder  people  and 
the  spreading  of  the  gospel  than  many  realize. 

In  a  word,  in  185 1  there  was  not  a  single  church  or  chapel. 
Now  the  above  mentioned  denominations  have  1,826 
churches,  with  151,050  members  and  1,923  chapels  and 
church  buildings  to  a  value  of  sixteen  millions  of  kronor, 
without  the  houses  for  preachers.  We  have  1,192  Young 
People's  Societies,  and  the  52,000  active  members  mostly 
have  come  as  a  fruit  from  the  Sunday-school.  Especially 
during  the  last  years  the  Lord  has  granted  us  rich  blessings. 
Spiritual  movements  have  been  seen  in  most  of  the  prov- 
inces. The  missionaries  have  often  been  obliged  to  break 
off  their  journeys,  and  give  up  their  training  class  and  draw 
in  the  nets.  Revival  meetings  have  been  held  evening 
after  evening.  Only  one  example.  I  have  a  delegate  with 
me,  Mr.  Coresan,  from  Eskilstuna.  Last  winter  about 
one  hundred,  and  the  winter  before  about  two  hundred, 
children  and  adults  of  his  school  were  converted.  Similarly, 
in  the  school  to  which  I  belong. 

In  provinces  where  the  Sunday-schools  have  been  held 
for  a  long  time,  opposition  and  prejudices  begin  to  disappear. 

320 


Switzerland 

But  now  at  many  places  we  have  to  face  something  still 
worse — something  more  dangerous.  It  is  socialism,  which 
works  against  Christianity  with  all  its  might.  At  Eskils- 
tuna  there  is  a  Socialist  Sunday-school  with  seven  hundred 
children.  At  Kaping,  for  instance,  the  Socialists  put  up 
placards  in  the  streets,  urging  the  people  not  to  visit  Chris- 
tian meetings  or  allow  the  children  to  attend  Christian 
Sunday-school.  But  the  Lord  is  stronger  than  the  Social- 
ists.    He  will  give  us  the  victory. 


Switzerland 

A  Report  of  the  Sunday  School  Coiimittee  of  the  German  Evangelical 

Cantons,  Supplied  for  the  Convention  by  G.  de  Tscharner, 

OF  Berne 

The  Sunday-schools  in  Switzerland  do  not  stand  under 
one  direction.  In  the  different  Cantons,  there  are  inde- 
pendent, more  or  less  completely  formed  organizations. 
We  have  no  report  from  the  French  part  of  Switzerland. 

Sunday-school  work  has  prospered  immensely  in  the 
German  Evangelical  Cantons.  There  are  parts  of  the 
country  where  you  could  scarcely  find  a  single  little  village 
without  a  Sunday-school.  Because  of  the  scattered  popula- 
tion, each  Sunday-school  is  usually  small.  Large  schools, 
with  a  few  hundred  children,  and  with  the  system  of  groups, 
are  found  in  towns  and  large  villages.  Usually  they  consist 
of  a  teacher,  who  assembles  in  a  private  room  about  twenty 
to  fifty  children.  This  is  the  really  typical  Sunday-school 
of  our  country,  and  our  ideal  of  it.  They  generally  meet  in 
private  houses,  sometimes  in  a  schoolroom,  or  in  a  meeting- 
hall,  and  in  churches,  in  large  villages. 

The  hour  is  spent  with  a  simple  exposition  of  the 
Scriptures,  particularly  of  the  biblical  stories,  with  a  practical 
application  to  the  life  of  the  children,  besides  prayer  and 
hymns.  Great  festivals  do  not  enter  into  our  Sunday-school 
life;  it  offers  its  brightest  moments  at  Christmas  time.     The 

321 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

lovely  excursions  in  the  woods  during  the  summer  have 
been  much  appreciated  lately. 

It  is  not  the  church  which  organized  the  Sunday-schools. 
They  were  started  entirely  by  personal  initiative.  In  the 
beginning  they  met  with  difficulties  and  prejudice,  but  they 
now  enjoy  nearly  everywhere  grateful  acknowledgment 
and  sympathy.  Pastors  encourage  their  cause  more  and 
more,  by  estabhshing  new  Sunday-schools,  and  by  giving 
lessons  of  preparation  to  the  teachers.  The  children  join 
the  Sunday-school  at  four  or  five  years  of  age.  In  most 
places  they  leave  it  at  the  age  of  thirteen  or  fourteen,  when 
they  follow  the  study  of  the  catechism — some,  however, 
remain  until  their  confirmation. 

For  the  Canton  of  Berne,  we  can  give  a  fairly  exact 
statement.  There  exist  about  five  hundred  and  fifty 
Sunday-schools  with  thirty-six  thousand  children.  The 
other  Protestant  German  Cantons  might  stand  compara- 
tively in  the  same  proportion,  above  all  Zurich,  Bale, 
Schaffhausen,  as  well  as  the  Protestant  parts  of  Aargau, 
St.  Gallen  and  Thurgau. 

We  estimate  the  number  of  Sunday-schools  in  the  German 
Protestant  part  of  Switzerland  at  about  fifteen  hundred 
Sunday-schools,  with  about  eighty  to  one  hundred  thousand 
children. 

In  some  Cantons  the  Sunday-school  teachers  have  formed 
an  Association.  The  Bernese  Sunday-school  Association 
has  about  one  thousand  members,  in  four  hundred  Sun- 
day-schools. Seventy-five  per  cent,  of  the  members  be- 
long to  the  National  church,  while  about  twenty- 
five  per  cent,  belong  to  the  different  denominations.  It 
stands  on  the  principle  of  evangelical  alliance.  The  organi- 
zation is  most  simple.  At  the  head,  there  is  the  Central 
Committee  in  Bern,  where  Mr.  Baescklin  succeeded  as 
president  the  late  Dr.  Bloesch.  In  town  and  country, 
there  are  seventeen  Sections,  meeting  once  or  twice  annually 
in  a  conference.     On  these  occasions  reports  are  presented, 

322 


Switzerland 

Bible  lessons  and  lectures  on  methods  of  teaching  given, 
and  practical  specimen  lessons  with  children. 

A  special  Agent,  formerly  teacher  of  pedagogic  method 
at  a  schoolmaster's  college,  devotes  part  of  his  time  to  the 
service  of  the  Sunday-school  Association  of  the  Canton  of 
Bern,  visiting  the  Sunday-schools,  giving  lectures,  and  lead- 
ing the  lessons  at  conferences.  He  has  pubHshed  a  book, 
containing  detailed  advice  on  the  best  way  to  deal  with 
biblical  stories  for  children,  thus  helping  and  guiding 
teachers  in  acquiring  a  deeper  understanding  of  the  subjects 
themselves. 

All  the  members  of  the  Sunday  School  Association  receive 
the  Correspondenzhlatt,  which  contains  the  necessary  com- 
munications concerning  the  work,  and  principally  instruc- 
tive articles. 

The  children  get  every  Sunday  the  "  Kinder-Sonntags- 
blatt"  founded  by  the  late  Dr.  Bloesch.  The  business  part 
of  the  work  is  done  by  the  Central  office  in  Bern  {Sonn- 
tagsscheel  Agentur). 

A  training  course  of  Sunday-school  teachers  of  the  country 
was  held  in  Bern,  two  years  ago,  (seventy  students  partici- 
pated). A  similar  course  followed  last  year  for  town  people. 
They  evidently  answered  a  long  felt  need,  and  met  with 
much  interest. 

Other  Cantons  have  similar  Sunday-school  Associations, 
with  a  less  complete  organization. 

On  the  whole  we  can  state  with  joy  and  gratitude  to  God, 
that  the  work  of  Sunday-schools  is  now  deeply  rooted,  and 
constantly  progressing,  adapting  itself  in  its  forms  and 
development  to  the  special  circumstances  of  our  beloved 
country. 

We  are  more  and  more  aware  of  its  increasing  impor- 
tance, as  we  see  the  rising  movement  in  favor  of  public 
schools  without  creed  or  religion.  So  far  we  can  only  be 
thankful  for  the  complete  freedom  our  Sunday-school 
work  in  Switzerland  enjoys. 

2>^Z 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 
Turkey 

By  the  Rev.  Thomas  D.  Christie,  D.  D.,  LL.  D. 

The  American  Board  has  four  Missions  in  Turkey.  The 
Western  Turkey  Mission  was  founded  in  1819.  Its  field 
is  Constantinople  and  nearly  the  whole  of  Asia  Minor. 
The  Eastern  Turkey  Mission,  estabhshed  in  1836,  covers 
ancient  Armenia  and  eastern  Mesopotamia,  to  the  borders 
of  Persia.  The  Central  Turkey  Mission  occupies  the 
Southern  part  of  Asia  Minor,  Northern  Syria,  and  the 
northwestern  regions  of  Mesopotamia.  The  first  mission- 
aries went  to  this  field  in  1844.  The  European  Turkey 
Mission,  begun  in  1859,  has  for  its  field  ancient  Thrace  and 
Macedonia.  The  population  ministered  to  by  these  four 
missions  numbers  about  twenty  millions. 

There  are  nearly  two  hundred  missionaries,  two-thirds 
of  them  women;  and  about  eleven  hundred  native  ministers, 
evangelists,  and  teachers.  All  of  these  are  engaged  in 
Sunday-school  work.  The  Evangelical  churches  number 
one  hundred  and  forty  with  seventeen  thousand  members; 
the  places  where  the  gospel  is  preached  are  about  three 
hundred;  Sunday-schools  number  about  four  hundred,  with 
close  to  thirty-five  thousand  pupils,  taught  by  over  three 
thousand  teachers;  the  languages  used  are  mainly  the 
Turkish,  the  Armenian,  the  Greek,  the  Arabic,  and  the 
Bulgarian.  It  is  encouraging  to  know  that  more  than 
fifty-five  thousand  hearers  attend  the  preaching  of  the 
gospel  every  Sunday.  In  these  four  Missions  there  are 
twelve  theological  seminaries  and  colleges  (two  of  the  latter 
for  women),  with  over  twelve  hundred  pupils;  there  are 
nearly  five  hundred  high  and  common  schools,  in  which 
over  twenty-two  thousand  boys  and  girls  are  studying;  to 
all  of  these  pupils  the  truths  of  God's  Word  are  taught  every 
day;  for  the  support  of  their  pulpits  and  schools  our  poor 
people  tax  themselves  and  pay  each  year  close  to  one  hundred 
and  twelve  thousand  dollars. 

324 


Turkey 

In  1895-6  they  saw  more  than  fifty  thousand  of  their 
kinsmen  and  friends  murdered  in  cold  blood;  their  property 
was  ravaged  and  destroyed;  tens  of  thousands  of  widows, 
orphans,  and  destitute  poor  had  to  look  to  them  and  to  us 
for  bread  and  clothing.  It  is  a  sublime  spectacle,  to  see  how 
our  brave  people,  strengthened  by  the  truth  and  the  Spirit 
of  God,  have  rallied  again  after  such  fearful  calamities — as 
the  Athenians  rallied  at  the  darkest  period  of  the  Persian 
War;  as  the  Jews  rallied  under  Nehemiah — and  have  gone 
on  with  increased  energy,  in  their  evangehstic,  educational, 
and  charitable  work.  Their  churches  and  schools  have 
never  before  been  so  full;  and  best  of  all,  deep  and  genuine 
revivals  have  never  before  been  so  frequent  and  so  powerful. 
It  is  God's  work,  not  man's — this  is  the  only  solution  of  the 
mystery. 

''The  churches  of  Asia"  look  to  you  to  provide  for  them 
a  Sunday-school  Secretary.*  I  was  expressly  commissioned 
to  urge  this  upon  you.  There  is  a  great  and  interesting 
work  awaiting  such  a  man.  For,  good  as  the  instruction 
is  which  is  given  in  our  Sunday-schools,  the  methods  in 
many  places  need  improvement.  Our  pastors  and  teachers 
need  the  new  stimulus  and  help  that  the  Secretary  would 
bring.     He  will  receive  a  hearty  welcome  everywhere. 

In  some  of  our  cities  there  are  Sunday-schools  with  seven 
or  eight  hundred  pupils.  They  meet  in  the  forenoon,  the 
sermon  being  preached  in  the  afternoon.  Men  and  women, 
as  well  as  children,  attend;  and  the  session  lasts  from  an 
hour  and  a  half  to  two  hours.  It  is  a  pleasant  sight,  to  see 
the  church  filled  with  little  groups  surrounding  their  teachers, 
all  seated  in  Oriental  fashion  on  the  floor;  on  one  side  the 
men  in  their  red  fezes,  on  the  other  the  women  in  their 
bright-colored  dresses.  The  discussions  in  the  classes  are 
usually  very  animated,  for  in  the  East  a  keen  interest — be 

*  Before  the  close  of  the  Convention  the  support  of  a  Sunday-school 
Secretary  for  the  Northern  Levant  was  assumed  by  the  Executive 
Committee. 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

it  only  an  intellectual  interest — is  taken  in  Religion.  The 
decrees  of  God  and  the  free-will  of  man  are  always  live 
subjects.  In  Marash  at  one  time  the  debate  became  so 
earnest  and  so  prolonged  that  the  missionary  felt  constrained 
to  put  an  end  to  it;  which  he  did  by  showing,  in  a  sermon, 
that  man  is  free,  because  God  had  decreed  from  all  eternity 
that  he  should  be  free.  From  the  classes  thus  trained  and 
instructed  in  Bible  truth,  our  churches  receive  about  a 
thousand  new  members  each  year.  In  a  report  from  the 
Sunday-school  in  Adana,  thirty  miles  east  of  Tarsus,  Miss 
Morley  writes:  ''The  Adana  Sunday-school  has  two 
departments,  the  adults  and  the  children;  the  former  meet 
in  the  church,  the  latter  in  the  school-rooms  under  the 
church.  The  adult  pupils  number  over  two  hundred. 
This  department  is  in  charge  of  our  energetic  Pastor  Topal- 
ian.  The  lowest  attendance  of  the  children  this  year  was 
two  hundred  and  twenty-six;  the  highest  three  hundred  and 
thirty-four.  They  are  instructed  by  fourteen  enthusiastic 
teachers.  These  remain  for  a  time  after  each  session,  to 
study  together  the  lesson  for  the  next  Sunday.  I  have 
charge  of  this  meeting,  and  have  been  much  pleased  with  the 
free  and  earnest  spirit  of  the  discussions.  Difficulties 
encountered  by  the  teachers  in  the  classes  are  brought  for- 
ward, and  help  is  given.  The  children  have  contributed 
this  year  about  thirty-six  dollars;  half  of  which  sum  is  to 
go  to  foreign  missions,  and  half  for  the  work  in  Adana." 

Miss  Mary  Webb  writes:  ''Last  fall  we  sent  out  a  girl- 
teacher  to  old  Mopsuestia,  where  in  early  days  the  famous 
Theodore  was  Bishop.  It  is  now  only  a  miserable  little 
village,  the  mud  huts  scattered  around  among  the  ruins  of 
the  ancient  city.  Our  good  girl  lost  no  time  in  organizing 
a  Sunday-school.  And  now  a  real  revival  has  crowned  her 
labors  with  spiritual  blessings.  When  I  was  there  recently 
one  of  the  meetings  continued  till  nearly  midnight;  it  seemed 
impossible  to  break  off.  On  coming  away  in  the  morning 
the  teacher  brought  me  a  handful  of  copper  coins,  amounting 

326 


Turkey 

to  about  seventy  cents.  The  poor,  ragged  children  had 
brought  their  offering  of  coppers  every  Sunday,  and  this 
was  the  whole  amount.  I  asked  what  they  wanted  done 
with  the  money.  She  said  that  she  had  been  telling  the 
children  of  the  misery  of  the  child-widows  of  India;  and  that 
the  little  villagers  had  asked  to  have  their  mite  sent  to  India 
for  the  education  and  help  of  one  of  the  child-widows. 
One  cannot  help  thinking  how  old  Bishop  Theodore  and  his 
friend  Chrysostom  would  have  been  pleased  with  this  fruit 
of  the  gospel  in  Mopsuestia!  And  we  know  how  pleased 
with  it  is  the  Master  whom  they  served  so  faithfully." 

Besides  the  Protestant  schools  of  which  the  statistics  have 
been  given,  there  are  many  good  Sunday-schools  in  the 
Gregorian  Churches.  In  these  also  there  is  earnest  study 
of  the  Scriptures,  with  hymns  and  prayers  as  among  our- 
selves. Through  the  influence  of  God's  Holy  Spirit  this 
study  is  filled  with  blessing,  and  souls  are  saved — even  as  in 
the  Evangelical  churches.  A  very  remarkable  work  of  this 
kind  is  now  going  on  at  Aintab,  in  Northern  Syria.  Pru- 
dence forbids  my  giving  the  facts  that  show  an  increasing 
study  of  the  Bible  among  other  peoples  of  the  East;  but  our 
friends  may  rest  assured  that  such  study  is  going  on,  and 
that  it  is  showing  already  its  blessed  fruits. 

Nearly  every  one  of  the  vigorous  Evangelical  churches 
of  the  Levant  grew  out  of  a  Sunday-school.  A  missionary 
or  an  evangelist  goes  to  a  place,  and  begins  to  open  the 
Scriptures  to  a  few  select  souls  who  are  hungering  for  the 
Living  Bread.  Others  of  like  mind  gather  around  them; 
times  for  regular  services  are  appointed;  the  people,  in  spite 
of  persecution,  throng  in;  the  Word  is  expounded  and 
pressed  home  on  heart  and  conscience;  the  Holy  Spirit 
does  his  work — and  then  a  small  but  growing  church  is 
organized,  from  which  the  new  life  is  propagated  into  all 
the  neighborhood.  This  is  the  story  of  nearly  all  our 
churches.  But  sometimes  there  has  been  no  missionary  or 
evangelist  on  the  ground  at  all.    A  copy  of  the  Scriptures 

327 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

finds  its  way  into  the  village;  perhaps  there  is  only  one  man 
there  who  can  read.  In  the  long  winter  evenings  his  neigh- 
bors gather  around  him,  and  he  reads  the  story  that  to  them 
is  so  new  and  so  interesting — the  story  of  the  Redemption. 
They  discuss,  they  compare  what  they  have  heard  with  the 
practises  of  their  priests,  and  are  convinced  that  the  two 
do  not  agree.  Before  the  missionaries  visit  the  place,  there 
is  the  nucleus  of  a  church  there. 

Thus,  the  study  of  God's  Word,  the  work  of  the  Sunday- 
school,  is  the  beginning  of  all  things  in  the  Mission  field; 
of  churches,  of  schools  of  all  grades,  of  hospitals  and  medical 
work,  of  Evangehstic  propaganda,  of  the  elevation  of 
woman,  of  the  Christian  home.  ''AH  things  shall  live, 
whithersoever  that  river  cometh." 

The  story  of  the  difficulties  overcome  in  establishing 
Sunday-schools  in  some  places  in  our  field  would  fill  a  book. 
Let  one  instance  suffice.  In  our  mountains  there  is  a  large 
town,  into  which  the  missionaries  had  tried  in  vain  for 
many  years  to  introduce  the  Scriptures.  While  making 
the  attempt,  at  one  time,  a  missionary  and  a  native  pastor 
were  met  by  a  great  mob,  stoned  from  their  horses,  and 
left  for  dead  upon  the  ground.  Our  opportunity  to  return 
good  for  evil  came  in  1879.  The  lawless  element  in  the 
town  rebelled  against  the  Turks,  fought  a  detachment  of 
soldiers  in  the  streets,  and  drove  them  away  over  the 
mountains.  Instantly  the  military  determined  to  take 
a  bloody  revenge.  An  army  of  eight  thousand  men,  with 
a  battery  of  artillery,  was  assembled,  and  all  the  prepara- 
tions made  for  the  march  of  twelve  hours,  and  the  assault 
that  should  wipe  the  town  from  the  face  of  the  earth.  The 
two  missionaries  at  the  place  from  which  the  army  was  to 
start  were  in  great  distress;  for  they  well  knew  there  would 
be  no  discrimination,  the  innocent  would  perish  with  the 
guilty.  Just  at  this  crisis  they  were  summoned  to  the 
telegraph  office  by  the  British  Consul  at  the  seat  of  govern- 
ment of  the  Province,  four  days'  journey  away.     He  begged 

328 


Turkey 

them  to  go  to  the  town  in  rebelHon,  and  secure  the  submission 
of  all  its  people  to  the  Turkish  government,  as  the  only 
means  of  averting  the  destruction  hanging  over  it.  He 
said  that  the  Governor- General  would  keep  back  the  arniy 
till  the  attempt  was  made.  Immediately  one  of  the  mis- 
sionaries went  up  over  the  mountains  to  the  town.  He 
remained  there  a  week,  pleading  for  peace,  and  imperiling 
his  life  in  the  caves  among  well-armed  and  desperate  robbers. 
He  came  back  with  forty  stands  of  arms  and  other  things 
that  had  been  taken  from  the  Turkish  soldiers  in  the  pre- 
ceding fight;  and  with  a  paper  signed  by  all  the  notables  of 
the  towm,  promising  submission  to  the  government. 

But  the  missionary  found  on  his  return  that  the  officers 
of  the  army  had  made  every  preparation  to  advance;  they 
wanted  no  reconcihation;  and  they  prevented  the  telegraph 
operator  from  forwarding  to  the  Governor-General  an 
account  of  the  missionary's  success.  A  whole  day  was 
spent  in  vain  endeavor  to  get  the  message  sent.  That 
evening,  the  colleague  of  the  brave  emissary  of  peace  put 
the  precious  papers  into  his  breast-pocket,  mounted  his 
horse,  and  with  one  of  his  young  students  started  for  the 
seat  of  government.  By  riding  day  and  night  for  thirty-six 
hours,  with  one  hour  of  sleep,  and  changing  horses  twice, 
the  house  of  the  British  Consul  was  reached  in  the  early 
morning  of  the  second  day.  The  two  men,  covered  with 
mud  from  head  to  foot  were  lifted  from  their  horses;  and 
without  having  opportunity  even  to  wash,  were  hurried  into 
the  presence  of  the  Governor- General.  By  him  the  papers 
were  read,  and  a  narrative  of  events  was  hstened  to.  And 
by  him  immediately  four  messages  were  sent  by  telegraph- 
stopping  the  advance  of  the  army,  and  removing  from  office 
its  commander  and  another  high  official,  also  the  operator 
who  had  refused  to  wire  the  missionary's  message.  Thus, 
peace  was  established,  and  that  great  town  was  saved. 
The  result  was  that  no  more  opposition  was  made  to  the 
entrance  of  the  gospel  there.     And  now  a  strong  church 

329 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

and  Sunday-school  are  in  that  town.  They  have  sent  many 
good  students,  both  boys  and  girls,  into  our  colleges;  and 
young  men  into  our  theological  seminary.  The  missionaries 
have  always  felt  that  they  did  right  in  stepping  aside  for 
a  time  from  their  preaching  and  teaching,  to  do  a  bit  of 
"secular"  work  that  has  had  results  like  these. 


The  United  States  of  America 

W.  N.  Hartshorn,  Chairman  of  the  International  Executive  Committee 

I  am  privileged  to  speak  for  the  youngest  of  the  many 
nations  represented  in  this  convention.  Our  heritage  is 
derived  from  that  great  nation  whose  christianizing  reign 
encircles  the  globe,  and  upon  whose  domain  "the  sun  never 
sets."  Ours  in  a  noble  ancestry.  We  are  also  debtors 
to  each  of  the  44  countries  and  great  divisions  here 
represented  for  sending  to  us  physical  and  brain  material 
from  which,  under  conditions  existing  in  the  United  States, 
great  men  are  made.  There  is,  however,  naught  that  we 
possess  as  a  nation  that  we  have  not  first  received. 
Therefore,  we   boast  not. 

But  I  am  to  speak  for  the  army  of  13,000,000  of  the 
Sunday-school  forces  in  the  United  States.  Our  God  whom 
we  worship  is  the  God  of  Israel.  Our  creed,  the  Sermon 
on  the  Mount.  Our  practise,  the  twelfth  of  Romans. 
Our  spirit,  that  of  the  Christ.  Our  purpose,  that  of  service. 
No  one  Hveth  unto  himself.  If  God  has  given  you  wisdom 
to  serve  wisely  above  your  fellows,  impart  it.  If  success  in 
service,  share  it.  If  opportunity  for  doing  good  to  others 
about  you,  do  it.  God's  government  issues  no  patents. 
There  are  no  exclusive  rights.  Each  belongs  to  the  other, 
and  all  is  God. 

Our  vision  for  the  organized  work  will  not  materialize 
until  the  remote,  the  isolated,  and  the  discouraged  schools 
in  all  lands  have  come  into  sympathetic  and  helpful  rela- 
tions  to   the   Sunday-schools   that   have   wise   leadership. 

330 


United  States  of  America 

God  is  swinging  wide  open  to  the  Sunday-school  workers 
of  the  world  the  door  of  opportunity.  In  this  brief  talk  I 
will  not  deal  with  details,  but  rather  with  principles  and 
results,  showing  some  unfinished  work,  and  the  ever  widen- 
ing channel  of  opportunity  and  responsibility. 

The  estimated  population  of  the  United  States  is  about  85,000,000 

Number  of  Sunday-schools 140,000 

Number  of  officers  and  teachers 1,450,000 

Number  of  scholars 1 1,000,000 

Total  enrolment  about 13,000,000 

Population  enrolled  in  the  Sunday-school 15  per  cent. 

The  organized  and  co-operative  Sunday-school  work  of 
North  America  is  conducted  by  the  International,  State, 
Provincial,  and  Territorial  Sunday  School  Associations, 
and  county,  district,  and  township  conventions  and  con- 
ferences. The  International  Association  holds  a  convention 
once  every  three  years — all  others  hold  annual  conventions. 

The  International  Triennial  Convention  is  composed  of 
delegates  elected  by  the  state,  provincial  and  territorial 
conventions,  or  by  their  Executive  Committees,  and  number 
about  2,200,  all  denominations  being  represented. 

An  Executive  Committee,  composed  of  ninety-six  busi- 
ness and  professional  men,  representing  the  denominations 
and  every  section  of  the  continent  of  North  America,  is 
elected  by  the  Convention  to  serve  for  three  years.  This 
Committee  holds  one  annual  meeting;  its  sessions  continue 
three  or  four  days.  Each  member  pays  his  traveling  and 
hotel  expenses.  Through  several  sub-committees  it  inau- 
gurates and  supervises  various  departments  of  work,  among 
which  are  Teacher-Training,  Elementary,  Intermediate, 
Adult,  Home,  Educational,  Missionary,  Temperance, 
Work  among  the  Negroes,  etc.,  etc. 

This  Committee  employs  seven  Field  and  eight  Office 
Secretaries  and  stenographers.  Mr.  Marion  Lawrance  is 
the  General  Secretary,  and  is  in  charge  of  these  forces. 
The  International  Headquarters  are  in  the  Hartford  Build- 

331 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

ing,  140  Dearborn  St.,  Chicago,  Illinois.  It  is  estimated 
that  14,000  Sunday-school  conventions  were  held  in  North 
America  in  1906.  It  is  expected  that  $90,000  will  be 
received  by  the  Executive  Committee  and  expended  for 
organized  work  during  the  triennium  between  June  1905-8. 
This  large  amount  does  not  include  the  expected  securing 
before  the  Louisville  Convention  of  one  hundred  life  mem- 
berships of  $1,000  each;  this  amount  to  be  used  for  special 
needs  in  the  development  of  the  work. 

The  work  done  by  the  Lesson  Committee,  first  created 
by  the  Fifth  National  Convention  at  IndianapoHs,  Indiana, 
April,  1872,  has  made  possible  the  inauguration  and  the 
development  of  organized  and  co-operative  Sunday-school 
work  as  now  carried  on  in  America  by  the  International 
Executive  Committee. 

The  idea  of  having  one  uniform  lesson — one  topic,  one 
text — for  every  class  and  every  department  in  the  individual 
Sunday-school  in  every  town,  village,  city,  and  state — then 
in  every  Sunday-school,  in  every  denomination  in  every 
town,  village,  city,  and  state,  has  so  possessed  the  Sunday- 
school  forces  of  this  continent  that  it  has  been  easy  for 
denominational  leaders  to  unite  upon  a  common  purpose 
and  to  adopt  approved  methods  for  gaining  the  same 
results.  The  uniform — one  lesson — idea  has  encircled  the 
globe  so  that  fully  25,000,000  people  each  Sunday  are 
studying  the  topic,  text,  and  lesson  selected  jointly  by  the 
American  and  British  sections  of  the  International  Lesson 
Committee. 

It  is  thirty-five  years  since  the  first  series  of  Uniform 
Lessons  was  adopted.  The  original  plan  is  being  modified. 
Graded  Lessons,  to  more  reasonably  suit  the  age  and 
conditions  of  pupils,  are  sure  to  be  adopted,  but  these 
graded  lessons,  topic,  and  text,  are  still  to  be  selected  by 
the  International  Lesson  Committee.  With  new  mem- 
bers from  time  to  time,  it  has  served  the  Sunday-school 
world  for  thirty-five  years  without  one  cent  of  compensation, 

2>Z2 


Hawaii's  Outlook 

and  must  continue  its  Christ-like  service  until  all  the  world 
shall  know  our  Christ. 

This  Committee  is  elected  by  the  International  Conven- 
tion each  sixth  year.  The  present  committee,  consisting  of 
fifteen  members,  was  elected  at  Denver,  Colorado,  in  1902. 
A  new  Committee  will  be  elected  at  Louisville,  Kentucky, 
in  1908. 

The  lessons  are  selected  fully  two  years  in  advance  of 
their  use  by  us  in  the  Sunday-school.  This  "advance" 
preparation  is  necessary  in  order  to  give  the  lesson  editors 
who  write  the  lesson  notes  and  the  denominational  pub- 
lishers who  print  the  quarterlies,  leaflets,  cards,  books,  etc., 
time  to  do  their  part. 

The  marvelous  exhibit  of  lesson  helps  and  Sunday-school 
literature,  present  in  this  Convention,  brought  from 
America  by  Dr.  C.  R.  Blackall,  and  for  the  most  part  the 
product  of  American  denominational  and  independent 
pubhshers,  is  the  voiceless  story  of  what  the  International 
Lesson  Committee,  the  lesson  editors,  and  the  lesson  pub- 
lishers are  doing  to  teach  the  youth  and  the  manhood  and 
womanhood  of  North  America  the  priceless  truths  of  the 
Bible — the  Hfe  and  teachings  of  Jesus  Christ  and  the  way 
of  eternal  life. 

Nearly  half  a  billion  pieces  of  Sunday-school  literature 
were  printed  and  distributed  in  1906.  Grateful  indeed 
are  we  to  have  a  part  in  this  world-wide  movement. 


Hawaii's  Outlook 

Eighty-seven  years  ago  the  first  American  missionaries, 
Messrs.  Bingham  and  Thurston,  came  to  these  Islands. 
They  were  but  the  forward  guard  of  a  host  of  noble  men 
and  women  who  followed.  These  missionaries,  with  hardly 
a  single  exception,  were  noble-minded,  unselfish  workers 
who  gave  their  very  lives  for  the  spiritual  awakening  of 
Hawaii.     The  years  1838  and  1839  saw  some  of  the  most 

333 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

remarkable  revival  scenes  the  world  has  ever  witnessed.  It 
looked  much  as  if  nations  were  being  born  in  a  day.  But 
that  day  had  back  of  it  nearly  two  decades  of  Christian 
teaching.  All  during  these  early  years  the  native  Hawaiian 
was  taught  the  Bible  and  he  knows  it  to-day,  in  a  way 
that  would  put  the  average  Anglo-Saxon  to  shame.  Sun- 
day-schools are  no  innovation  in  Hawaii.  They  have 
been  there  for  scores  of  years,  and  in  the  last  analysis 
they  have  counted  much  in  the  nation's  righteousness.  The 
very  motto  of  the  country,  adopted  by  the  old  Kings, 
shows  a  high  degree  of  exalted  Christian  teaching:  "  Ua 
mau  ke  ea  o  ka  aina  i  ka  pono,"  "  The  life  of  the  land  is 
in  righteousness."  Yet,  with  all  this  rich  inheritance  of 
Sunday-school  history,  there  is  much  for  us  of  to-day  to  do. 

Our  government  school  statistics  show  that  there  are 
fully  20,000  boys  and  girls  of  school  age  in  the  Islands. 
Of  this  number  about  8,000  are  in  Protestant  Sunday- 
schools.  Where  are  the  other  12,000?  It  is  safe  to  say 
that  the  greater  part  of  them  are  unreached  by  any  Sun- 
day-school, or  by  any  vital  religious  teaching.  Sabbath 
morning  finds  them  on  the  streets  and  in  the  ball  parks-r- 
a  place  they  might  well  afford  to  be  at  another  time.  There 
is  not  only  room  for  new  schools,  but  a  crying  need  for 
the  development  of  present  schools. 

These  facts  make  it  perfectly  evident  that  we  have  a 
Sunday-school  field  white  unto  the  harvest,  and  that  there 
is  ample  room  for  a  trained  worker  to  step  in  and  give  all 
his  time  to  this  most  productive  and  attractive  field. 

The  Sunday  School  Association  of  Hawaii  is  but  little 
more  than  a  year  old.  It  was  organized  in  June,  1906, 
along  the  lines  laid  down  by  the  International  Sunday 
School  Association.  It  required  careful  steering  of  the 
ship  to  persuade  some  of  the  patriarch  Hawaiian  fathers 
that  the  new  organization  did  not  propose  to  take  the 
work  out  of  their  hands,  but  simply  to  organize  it  for 
more  active  and  effective  service.     One  unique  feature  of 

334 


West  Indies 

the  new  organization  was  the  institution  of  several  cor- 
responding secretaries,  one  for  each  of  the  principal  nation- 
alities in  the  Islands.  It  is  the  duty  of  these  secretaries 
to  keep  in  correspondence  with  all  the  Sunday-schools  of 
the  particular  nationality  in  w^hich  they  are  most  interested. 
As  fast  as  the  Executive  Committe  formulates  new  plans 
of  work,  it  is  the  duty  and  privilege  of  these  secretaries  to 
project  those  plans. 

The  present  corresponding  secretaries  are  as  follows: 
EngHsh,  Miss  Edith  Perkins;  Hawaiian,  Moses  K.Nakuina; 
Chinese,  Rev.  E.  W.  Thwing;  Japanese,  Mr.  T.  Okumura; 
Portuguese,  Mrs.  J.  D.  Marques;  Korean,  C.  S.  Yee. 

It  is  most  welcome  news  that  has  recently  come  that 
the  American  Missionary  Association  has  just  voted  $1,500 
per  annum,  to  place  a  Sunday-school  superintendent  in  the 
Islands.  The  granting  of  this  request  has  long  been  a 
prayer  in  the  hearts  of  many  Christian  people. 

The  next  annual  convention  of  the  Sunday-school  Associ- 
ation of  Hawaii  will  be  held  about  June  ist,  1908,  in  the 
city  of  Hilo.  It  is  hoped  that  a  large  number  of  repre- 
sentative delegates  from  every  Sunday-school  in  the  Islands 
will  be  present  to  partake  of  the  feast  of  good  things. 

Note. — Hawaii  was  represented  in  the  Convention  by  the  Rev. 
E.  B.  Turner  of  Honolulu.  In  the  absence  of  a  report  of  his 
words  to  the  Convention,  these  facts  are  given  from  "Hawaiian 
Youth,"  the  new  organ  of  the  Hawaii  Sunday  School  Association, 
edited  by  Mr.  Turner. 


The  West  Indies 

At  the  Tenth  International  Convention  of  1902,  in 
Denver,  Colorado,  the  first  Committee  was  appointed  for 
the  purpose  of  investigating  the  condition  of  Sunday- 
school  work  in  the  West  Indies. 

Correspondence  was  instituted  with  the  principal  islands. 
Missions  and  Sunday-schools  were  found  to  be  everywhere, 
and  of  long  standing  in  the  English-speaking  islands,  which 

335 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

includes  about  one-half  of  the  population.  More  recently, 
the  Spanish-speaking  islands  have  been  opened  to  Protest- 
ant missions  and  in  these  aggressive  and  helpful  work  is  in 
progress. 

The  report  of  the  Committee,  in  1905,  eHcited  much 
concern  respecting  these  detached  portions  of  our  Continent, 
and  arrangements  were  completed  w^hereby  Mr.  Frank  L. 
Brown,  of  New  York,  the  Reverend  E.T.  Capel,  of  Montreal, 
Mr.  W.  C.  Pearce,  of  Chicago,  and  Dr.  Frank  Woodbury, 
of  Halifax  were  to  make  a  tour  of  Bermuda,  Leeward  and 
Windward  Islands,  Trinidad  and  British  Guiana  (South 
America).  This  was  accomplished  between  January  22, 
and  March  8,  1906. 

The  conditions  discovered  were  briefly  as  follows:  A  dense 
population  hardly  exceeded  per  square  mile  elsewhere  on 
earth.  About  5,000,000  in  the  islands  alone,  and  a  puz- 
zling mixture  of  races.  A  lax  home  life  among  a  large 
proportion  of  the  population,  and  the  consequent  moral 
lapse.  The  rank  and  file  of  the  people  are  poor,  while 
there  are  in  some  of  the  islands  well-to-do  people. 

Missionaries,  consecrated,  heroic,  talented,  man  the  field. 
Men  whom  God  has  called  aside  from  the  glamor  and 
dramatic  setting  of  the  Oriental  mission  field  to  bury 
themselves  in  the  isolation  of  these  islands,  risking  the  tropi- 
cal heat,  diseases  and  death,  for  Christ's  sake.  Probably 
about  one-sixth  of  the  population  of  school  age  is  in  the 
Sunday-school.  Somewhat  larger  numbers  are  in  the  day- 
schools  which  in  most  islands  are  under  denominational 
supervision,  and  in  which  religion  is  taught. 

With  a  very  few  exceptions  the  organized  Sunday-school, 
as  it  exists  in  North  America,  is  unknown.  There  is  no 
systematic  departmental  grading;  almost  no  equipment; 
no  cradle  roll,  while  the  Primary  work  may  rightly  be 
named  primitive  work.  There  are  a  few  teacher-training 
classes,  no  Home  Department,  and  Hterally  hundreds  of 
thousands    of    children    and   young   people    available    for 

Z2>^ 


West  Indies 

training.  At  every  point  the  fact  was  repeated  in  our  ears, 
''The  hope  for  the  future  of  these  Islands  is  in  training  the 
childhood."  The  methods  and  plans  of  the  International 
Association  were  warmly  welcomed  and  a  big  hope  was  born 
for  a  more  vigorous  campaign  to  save  that  people. 

At  British  Guiana  the  tour  party  touched  the  mainland  of 
South  America.  At  Georgetown,  for  the  first  time  the 
World's  Convention,  by  a  letter  from  President  E.  K.  War- 
ren, greeted  an  audience  on  the  South  American  continent. 

During  the  summer  of  1906,  plans  were  laid*  to  send  an 
International  field  worker  to  that  need^,  populous  terri- 
tory. The  Reverend  A.  Lucas,  of  New  Brunswick,  Canada, 
was  selected,  and  traveled  through  the  islands  from  Novem- 
ber 5,  1906,  until  April  5,  1907,  organizing  and  strengthen- 
ing the  work.  Mr.  Lucas  also  visited  Panama,  Jamaica, 
and  Cuba. 

The  need  for  vigorous  missionary  Sunday-school  work 
in  the  Spanish-speaking  islands  is  very  great.  All  that  has 
been  said  of  the  others  is  many  fold  more  true  in  these. 

Central  American  missions  in  Panama,  British  Hon- 
duras, Costa  Rica,  are  pleading  for  the  inspiration  of  a 
periodical  visitation. 

South  America  is  "The  neglected  Continent"  with  its 
forty  millions  of  people,  fifteen  millions  of  absolutely  heathen 
natives.     Statistics  show  but  a  handful  of  Protestants. 

The  commercial  importance  of  that  Continent  is  becoming 
better  and  better  known,  but  the  Protestantism  of  North 
America  has  not  yet  become  sufficiently  aware  of  the  great 
needs  and  opportunities  in  this  dark,  dark  portion  of  the 
world. 

By  the  action  of  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  Inter- 
national Sunday  School  Association  in  the  autumn  of  1906, 
this  great  Continent  was  added  to  their  field.  It  is  now 
proper  to  say,  "The  International  Association  of  North 
and  South  America  and  adjacent  Islands." 

The  Committee  with  this  work  in  charge  having  opened 
337 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

up  already  the  great  territory  of  the  West  Indies,  will  at  once 
take  measures  to  put  the  Missions  of  South  America  in  touch 
with  this  movement,  for  the  salvation  of  the  children  and 
youth  of  the  whole  Western  hemisphere.  The  International 
Association  is  the  mightiest  force  that  to-day  can  enter  that 
land,  hand  in  hand  with  the  Protestant  denominational 
missionaries. 

Men  are  standing  ready  to  devote  their  lives  to  the  uplift 
of  that  people  and  the  organization  of  the  best  methods  for 
winning  the  young.  It  is  right  that  the  Church  should  have 
their  eyes  fixed  upon  the  millions  in  the  Orient,  and  pour  out 
their  wealth  for  the  redemption  of  the  Antipodes,  but  our 
nearest  neighbor  "lieth  in  the  wicked  one"  and  in  "a  dark- 
ness that  may  be  felt."  We  wonder  what  stewards  of  God's 
bounty  will  see  this  report  and  feel  called  to  assign  a  sub- 
stantial and  adequate  sum  to  send  the  gospel,  through  this 
agency,  to  the  childhood  of  our  sister  Continent.  If  North 
America  is  not  responsible  for  this  trust,  who  is  ? 

The  two  visitations  to  the  West  Indies,  South  and  Central 
America  have  resulted  in  the  organization  of  the  following 
Sunday  School  Associations  with  full  staff  of  officers  and 
departmental  superintendents:  British  Guiana,  Trinidad 
and  Tobago,  Barbados,  Antigua,  St.  Kitts.  The  Trinidad 
and  Tobago  Association  recently  sent  fifty  dollars  to  our 
International  Treasurer  as  a  thank-offering. 

General  working  committees  for  organizing  and  controlling 
the  work  have  been  appointed  in  Montserrat,  Nevis,  Dom- 
inica, St.  Lucia,  St.  Vincent,  and  Grenada.  Jamaica  was 
visited  almost  immediately  after  the  Kingston  earthquake. 
No  central  organization  was  effected  then,  but  strong 
District  Associations  are  at  work.  They  are  ready  to 
complete  the  work  now. 

Cuba  received  a  short  visitation  from  Mr.  Lucas.  A 
strong  central  Committee  has  the  work  of  organization  in 
hand,  which  it  is  hoped  will  be  completed  in  the  winter  of 
1907  and  1908. 

33^ 


West  Indies 

Not  nearly  all  the  islands  have  been  even  visited.  Cen- 
tral and  South  America  have  hardly  been  touched.  Their 
harvest  fields  are  waiting  for  the  reapers. 

Who  hears  the  Divine  call?  "Whom  shall  we  send,  and 
w^ho  will  go  for  us." 

Dr.  W.  Scott  Whittier,  of  Trinidad^  said  : 

It  has  been  a  statesmanlike  act  on  the  part  of  the  Inter- 
national Executive  Committee  to  send  a  Commission  to 
South  America  and  the  West  Indies.  The  Commission  has 
met  difficult  and  delicate  conditions  with  rare  tact  and 
success,  and  has  done  much  good  by  gathering  information, 
promoting  co-operation,  and  stimulating  zeal,  and  has 
secured  Secretary  Lucas  to  gather  in  the  fruits. 

W^est  India  history  has  had  dark  days  of  slavery, 
marooners,  and  buccaneers,  with  volcanic  outbursts  of 
international  war.  There  is  a  greater  diversity  of  race  and 
language  than  was  at  Jerusalem  on  Pentecost.  They  are 
not  an  inferior,  but  a  less  favored  people,  seeking  their 
heritage  of  light  and  greatness.  The  report,  like  that  on 
Africa,  Japan,  China,  and  India,  recalled  the  days  when  the 
great  proconsuls  of  Rome  returned  to  report  on  conditions, 
needs,  and  dangers  of  distant  provinces  over  which  they 
ruled.  The  vital  thing  was  not  the  report,  but  the  decisions 
in  yonder  Forum,  by  the  Senate  and  people  of  Rome.  Is 
there  a  foe?  Then  mark  the  prompt  midnight  gathering, 
the  trumpet  call,  and  forth  through  the  night,  beating  the 
Appian  Way  with  firm,  fearless  feet,  begins  ere  dawn  that 
march  which  goes  on  and  on  to  the  rim  of  the  world,  to 
smite  down  their  foe  and  return  to  a  Roman  triumph,  or 
else  to  leave  their  bones  to  mark  the  boundary  behind 
which  Rome  will  treat  with  no  invader.  These  reports  and 
your  decisions  take  a  wider  range,  and  higher  import. 
Long  the  few  have  been  at  the  front  with  the  flag  of  the 
Christ.  They  falter  not,  though  they  do  grow  gray  beyond 
their  years.    They  will  return  for  no  triumph  that  we  can 

339 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

give — we  are  not  worthy;  that  is  in  the  Father's  hand. 
But  we  can  give  them  the  cheer  and  support  of  practical 
help  and  prevailing  prayer. 

Editor's  Note. — The  general  condition  of  the  work  in  the 
West  Indies  was  described  by  Mr.  W.  C.  Pearce  at  the  Con- 
vention. Further  facts  are  here  given  by  Dr.  Frank  Woodbury, 
Chairman  of  the  International  Executive  Committee  sub-committee 
on  the  West  Indies,  together  with  the  words  of  Dr.  Whittier,  of 
Trinidad,  following  Mr.  Pearce's  address. 


The  Significance  of  the  Convention 

By  the  Rev.  Dr.  N.  Walling  Clark,  of  Italy 

It  is  significant  that  this  great  gathering  is  here  in  the 
interest  of  Sunday-schools.  This  means  that  the  Sunday- 
school  movement  is  recognized  as  having  in  it  greater 
possibilities  for  the  uplifting  of  humanity  than  any  other 
movement  of  modern  times.  The  lever  which  is  destined 
to  raise  the  world  toward  Jesus  is  consecrated  childhood. 
There  is  no  nation  and  no  race  on  the  earth  which  can 
resist  and  overcome  the  uplifting  force  of  a  generation  of 
children  who  believe  in  Jesus.  With  the  children  of  any 
country  argument  is  of  no  avail;  theories  they  know  nothing 
about,  theological  discussion  is  outside  of  their  sphere,  and 
they  have  no  use  for  it.  But  when  they  are  led  to  see  Jesus, 
they  know  him,  they  believe  in  him,  they  love  him,  and 
when  the  children  are  united  in  the  faith  and  the  love  of 
Jesus,  there  is  no  power  on  earth  that  can  successfully 
resist  them.  It  is,  therefore,  a  fact  of  deep  significance  that 
the  religious  world,  as  represented  in  this  great  Convention, 
has  come  to  recognize  so  universally  the  marvelous  uplifting 
power  of  childhood  joined  to  Jesus. 

It  is  significant  that  this  gathering  is  in  Rome.  It  means 
I  trust,  that  the  Protestant  world  is  beginning  to  feel  a  deeper 
interest  in  Roman  Catholic  countries. 

340 


Significance  of  the  Convention 

There  is,  as  you  have  seen,  a  band  of  men  and  women 
here,  most  of  them  Itahans,  and  all  permeated  with  the 
Italian  spirit,  who  are  seeking,  not  to  overthrow  any  Church, 
or  any  institution  which  is  in  harmony  with  Jesus  Christ 
and  is  dominated  by  his  Spirit,  but  striving  rather  to  bring 
the  people  to  a  true  knowledge  of  the  Saviour,  and  to  send 
out  into  all  parts  of  this  beautiful  land,  darkened  by  super- 
stition and  ignorance,  the  light  and  the  hope  that  there  is  in 
the  gospel  of  Jesus.  We  have  tried  to  do  something  for  the 
children,  but  we  shall  do  a  great  deal  more  now  that  you 
have  been  here.  The  children  in  our  Sunday-schools  are 
chiefly  from  Roman  Catholic  families.  They  do  not  know 
Jesus,  except  as  they  see  him  in  wood  and  bronze  upon  the 
crucifix,  dying  in  awful  agony.  To  the  Roman  Catholic 
children  of  Italy  there  is  nothing  attractive  in  Jesus.  He  is 
rather  repulsive  to  them.  The  Madonna  is  the  loving 
mother  whom  the  Italian  children  know.  She  is  their 
Saviour.  They  are  taught  to  pray  to  her  for  salvation. 
We  are  trying  to  teach  them  about  Jesus,  the  beauty  of 
Jesus,  the  gentleness  of  Jesus,  the  love  of  Jesus. 

Once  on  a  time,  a  company  of  laborers  were  sent  forth  by 
a  king  to  level  a  primeval  forest,  to  plow^  it,  sow  it,  and 
bring  to  him  the  harvest.  Stout-hearted  and  strong  they 
were,  and  willing  for  any  service.  One  brave  fellow  was 
named  Industry  and  faithfully  he  gave  himself  to  his  work. 
His  brother.  Patience,  went  with  him,  and  he  tired  not  in  the 
longest  days  or  under  the  heaviest  burdens.  To  help  them 
they  had  a  friend  whose  name  was  Zeal,  and  by  his  side 
stood  his  companion.  Self-denial. 

These  went  forth  to  their  labor,  and  they  took  with  them 
to  cheer  their  toil,  their  well-beloved  sister,  Hope.  And  it 
was  well  that  they  did,  for  the  forest  trees  were  large  and 
demanded  many  a  blow  ere  they  fell  to  the  ground.  At 
night,  when  the  day's  work  was  done,  as  they  crossed  the 
threshold  of  their  cabin,  Patience  would  be  encouraged  and 
Self-denial  strengthened  by  hearing  the  sweet  voice  of  sister 

341 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

Hope,  singing  ''God  will  bless  us,  God,  even  our  own  God 
will  bless  us."  They  felled  the  trees  to  the  music  of  that 
strain,  they  sowed  the  corn  and  waited  for  the  harvest,  often 
discouraged,  but  still  held  to  their  w^ork  by  the  sweet  voice 
that  sang  so  constantly,  "God,  even  our  own  God,  will  bless 
us."  They  never  could  refrain  from  service,  for  Hope 
never  could  refrain  from  song.  They  were  ashamed  to  be 
discouraged  for  still  the  voice  rang  out,  clearly  at  noon  and 
at  even-tide,  "God  will  bless  us,  God,  even  our  own  God 
will  bless  us." 


A  Closing  Message 

By  Dr.  George  W.  Bailey,  Chairman  of  the  World's  Sunday  School 
Executive  Committee 

I  am  pleased  to  tell  you  that  last  evening,  Just  before  mid- 
night, plans  for  beginning  work  in  China  were  agreed  upon 
by  the  British  and  American  Sections  of  the  Executive 
Committee.  The  American  section  decided  to  employ 
a  Sunday-school  missionary  for  work  in  what  we  are  pleased 
to  designate  as  the  Northern  Levant,  or  that  part  of  the 
Turkish  Empire  north  of  TripoH,  represented  by  the  Eastern, 
Central  and  Western  Turkey  Missions,  and  a  commissioner 
was  chosen  to  inaugurate  the  work  of  organization  in  Korea. 
Other  important  forward  movements  are  under  considera- 
tion, including  a  world  visitation  by  our  beloved  President. 
Wherever  he  goes  a  fresh  emphasis  is  placed  upon  the 
Sunday-school  as  a  factor  in  saving  a  lost  world. 

I  desire  to  bear  testimony  to  the  Divine  leading  during  the 
days  of  preparation  for  this  meeting.  No  purely  human 
intelligence  could  have  unfolded  the  steps  which  led  up  to 
this  Convention,  which  will,  doubtless,  find  a  place  in  his- 
tory as  the  most  remarkable  Sunday-school  gathering  the 
world  has  thus  far  known. 

In  a  few  minutes  the  lights  will  be  out,  and  darkness  will 
reign  in  this  Temple  of  God,  where,  during  these  days  of 

342 


A  Closing  Message 

delightful  Christian  fellowship  and  service,  the  presence  and 
power  of  the  Holy  Spirit  has  been  clearly  manifested.  We 
will  go  down  from  this  place  of  rare  privilege  to  dare  and  to 
do  greater  things  for  God  than  ever  before.  We  may  never 
meet  again  upon  earth,  but,  please  God,  we  will  meet  up 
yonder.  In  the  meantime,  let  us  keep  busy,  sowing  precious 
seed  for  our  reaping  bye  and  bye. 

As  a  closing  message  I  leave  with  you  a  few  of  the  blessed 
words  of  the  Master.  Let  us  abide  in  him,  and  may  his 
words  abide  in  us,  then  shall  we  bring  forth  much  fruit. 
Christ  said  to  his  disciples,  and  is  saying  to  each  one  of  us 
to-night: 

"I  am  the  true  vine,  and  my  Father  is  the  husbandman. 
Every  branch  in  me  that  beareth  not  fruit,  he  taketh  it 
away:  and  every  branch  that  beareth  fruit,  he  cleanseth  it, 
that  it  may  bear  more  fruit.  Already  ye  are  clean  because 
of  the  word  which  I  have  spoken  unto  you.  Abide  in  me, 
and  I  in  you.  As  the  branch  cannot  bear  fruit  of  itself, 
except  it  abide  in  the  vine;  so  neither  can  ye,  except  ye  abide 
in  me.  I  am  the  vine,  ye  are  the  branches:  he  that 
abideth  in  me,  and  I  in  him,  the  same  beareth  much  fruit: 
for  apart  from  me  ye  can  do  nothing.  If  a  man  abide  not 
in  me,  he  is  cast  forth  as  a  branch,  and  is  withered;  and  they 
gather  them,  and  cast  them  into  the  fire,  and  they  are  burned. 
If  ye  abide  in  me,  and  my  words  abide  in  you,  ask  what- 
'  soever  ye  will,  and  it  shall  be  done  unto  you.  Herein  is 
is  my  Father  glorified,  that  ye  bear  much  fruit;  and  so  shall 
ye  be  my  disciples.  Even  as  the  Father  hath  loved  me,  I 
also  have  loved  you:  abide  ye  in  my  love.  If  ye  keep 
my  commandments,  ye  shall  abide  in  my  love;  even  as 
I  have  kept  my  Father's  commandments,  and  abide  in  his  . 
love.  These  things  have  I  spoken  unto  you,  that  my 
joy  may  be  in  you,  and  that  your  joy  may  be  made  full. 
This  is  my  commandment,  that  ye  love  one  another,  even 
as  I  have  loved  you." 


343 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

President  F.  B.  Meyer's  Closing  Words 

I  never  was  more  thankful  than  that  I  left  to  you,  Presi- 
dent Warren,  the  concluding  meeting  of  this  never-to-be- 
forgotten  Convention.  And  I  do  thank  God  for  the  won- 
derful tact  and  sanctified  common  sense,  and  sanctified 
mother  wit  with  which  he  has  endued  you  as  an  undoubted 
leader  of  men.  God  bless  you,  brother.  May  God  keep 
the  w^hite  hairs  off  your  head,  and  some  day  again,  after 
other  men  have  held  this  presidency,  may  you  come  back  at 
the  end  of  your  life  once  more  to  serve  this  great  movement. 

I  now  assume  with  a  very  trembling  heart  the  presidency, 
largely  because  President  Warren  has  driven  this  steed 
with  such  a  lax  hand,  and  however  I  can  get  you  back  again 
to  our  old-fashioned  English  methods  of  doing  business 
within  proper  hours,  I  do  not  know.  You  are  an  imperial 
race.  You  command  continents.  You  command  tracts  of 
ocean.  You  command  millions  of  dollars.  You  think  you 
can  command  time.  It  is  in  your  blood.  And  now  to 
bring  this  high  thoroughbred  steed  back  to  the  curb,  I 
fear  will  be  too  strong  a  task  for  this  weak  wrist,  but  I 
shall  try.  And  I  will  promise  you  that  never  in  my  presi- 
dency will  you  be  kept  out  of  your  beds  for  hours. 

Italians,  brothers  and  sisters  of  Italy,  and  especially  of 
Rome,  we  thank  you.  Your  large  nature  has  poured  out 
its  choicest  treasures  for  us,  and  it  will  be  impossible  for  us 
in  our  colder  climate  ever  to  give  you  so  warm,  so  hot  a 
welcome.  You  are  tropical;  we  temperate.  But  remember, 
in  the  Master's  name  we  leave  to  you  a  great  trust.  We 
have  trodden  upon  the  ruins  of  ancient  Rome;  we  have 
looked  at  the  marvels  of  the  Rome  of  medievalism;  I  think 
our  hearts  have  beat  highest  as  we  have  thought  of  young 
Italy.  It  is  for  you  to  give  young  Italy  the  liberty,  the 
equality  and  the  fraternity  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

Brothers  and  sisters  from  across  the  Atlantic — ^you  are 
more   than   cousins,   you   are   brothers   and   sisters.    We 

344 


President's  Closin«:  Words 


ty 


English  folk  are  slow-moving  and  conservative  compared 
with  your  agility  of  mind  and  action,  but  the  longer  we  know 
you,  the  more  we  esteem  the  noble  qualities  of  your  nature, 
its  munificent  generosity,  its  wide  and  large  catholicity,  its 
great  schemes  for  God's  glory,  and  above  all  your  purity, 
simplicity,  and  loveliness  of  disposition.  We  bless  God  for 
you.  You  will  have  to  bear  with  us.  We  do  not  move 
quite  so  quickly,  and  haven't  so  much  money  in  our  land  of 
free  trade.  But  you  have  chosen  an  Englishman  as  your 
President,  and  to  me  no  longer  is  there  Jew  or  Greek, 
Barbarian,  Scythian,  bond  or  free,  American  or  Englishman, 
but  you  are  all  one  in  Jesus  Christ. 

As  we  have  heard,  we  now  go  forth.  May  God  help  me 
to  lead  you,  with  the  noble  assistance  of  these  great  men  of 
God  who  are  around  me.  I  take  with  me  as  a  sacrament 
of  this  great  time  the  hymn-book,  beautifully  bound,  pre- 
sented to  me,  with  fly  leaves  which  I  have  already  filled  with 
vows  that  I  have  made  to  God  as  I  have  sat  here.  I  shall 
keep  that  always  in  my  Bible,  so  that  whenever  I  open  this 
Bible  or  pray,  they  will  remind  me  of  my  pledge  to  him  and 
to  you,  and  to  his  loyalty  to  us.  And  let  us  pledge  one 
another,  brothers  and  sisters,  that  every  Sunday  morning, 
whether  it  be  in  China,  or  Japan,  the  far  East  or  in  the  far 
Western  plains,  let  each  one  of  us  morning  by  morning  on 
Sunday,  remember  to  pray  that  God  may  lead  this  host. 
I  believe  in  my  heart  that  there  has  been  another  Pentecost 
upon  these  gatherings,  and  in  days  to  come,  as  some  of  us 
look  back  to  Oxford  as  the  beginning  of  the  great  Kesw^ick 
movement,  some  of  us  will  look  back  to  this  Convention  as 
the  outburst  of  a  new  stream  from  the  eternal  hills;  we 
shall  look  back  to  these  gatherings  as  a  beginning  of  a 
mighty  epoch. 

Is  it  not  wonderful  that  at  this  juncture,  when  in  certain 
quarters  people  are  beginning  to  doubt  the  religion  of  Jesus 
Christ,  God's  answer  is  a  new  outburst  of  missionary 
passion?     That  is  God's  answer     In  deeds  God  is  speak- 

345 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

ing — in  acts  which  will  move  the  world.  Let  us  advance! 
Advance!  God  calls  to  advance  in  close  columns,  advance 
touching  shoulders,  heart  touching  heart,  and  ever  with 
hand  in  the  hand  that  was  pierced. 


"Arise,  Let  Us  Go  Hence" 

By  the  Rev.  Dr.  B.  B    Tyler 

I  have  been  requested  to  speak  in  the  place  of  the  beloved 
Dr.  Potts,  of  Toronto,  Canada,  the  efficient  chairman  of  our 
International  Lesson  Committee.  By  reason  of  illness  Dr. 
Potts  is  unable  to  be  with  us  to-night.  I  will  not  be  guilty 
of  the  unpardonable  impertinence  of  assuming  that  I  can 
fill  the  place  of  Dr.  Potts.  I  simply  will  stand  where  he  was 
expected  to  stand  and  recite  the  text  which  he  had  decided 
to  recite  and  make  emphatic  at  this  point  in  the  Convention. 

The  text  to  which  I  refer  is  a  part  of  the  thirty-first  verse 
of  the  fourteenth  chapter  of  the  Gospel  according  to  John: 
Arise,  let  us  go  hence. 

These  are  the  words  of  the  Master,  as  you  know,  to  his 
disciples  on  Thursday  night  of  passion  week,  the  time  at 
which  he  gave  to  them  his  farewell  address,  and  uttered  the 
prayer  for  his  glorification,  for  the  unity  of  his  immediate 
friends,  and  for  the  oneness  of  all  who  would  believe  in  him, 
and  this  that  the  world  might  believe  that  God  had  sent  him. 

Those  of  us  who  came  to  Rome  on  the  steamers 
"Romanic"  and  ''Neckar"  had  experiences  such  as  never 
before  were  enjoyed — probably  never  again  will  be  passed 
through.  We  have  had  twenty-eight  days  of  Sunday-school 
and  missionary  conferences  and  convention  almost  without 
interruption — morning,  noon,  and  night.  From  the  time 
we  left  Boston  and  New  York  until  this  solemn  moment  of 
separation  we  have  been  thinking,  speaking,  praying,  and 
quietly  conferring  with  each  other  concerning  matters  of 
supreme  moment  to  us,  to  the  church,  and  to  the  world.  In 
Rome  our  experiences  have  certainly  been  without  a  parallel. 

In  the  city  of  London,  some  years  ago,  on  a  single  Sunday 
346 


"Arise,  Let  us  Go  Hence  ^' 

I  heard  Charles  H.  Spurgeon  in  the  morning,  Canan  Farrar 
in  the  afternoon,  and  Philh'ps  Brooks  in  the  evening. 

Lord's  day.  May  19,  1907,  I  heard  in  Rome,  F.  B.  Meyer, 
at  8:30  in  the  morning,  on  ''The  Glorification  of  Christ  by 
the  Holy  Spirit;"  at  11:15  I  heard  Bishop  Hartzell,  in  this 
room,  on  ''The  Divine  Purpose  Concerning  Man;"  and  at 
4  o'clock  I  heard  G.  Campbell  Morgan,  on  "The  Little 
Child  in  the  Midst." 

If  you  doubt  that  this  great  Convention  was  inspired  of 
God  and  directed  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  let  me  remind  you  of 
these  topics  and  what  they  ought  to  signify  to  us. 

"Arise,  let  us  go  hence."  On  this  mount  of  privilege  we 
have  tarried  long  enough.  We  have  been  baptized  anew  in 
the  ocean  of  Divine  Love.  May  this  prove  to  be  to  all  of  us 
a  veritable  "bath  of  regeneration."  It  is  now  time  for  us 
to  "arise  and  go."  The  emphatic  word  in  our  Lord's  last 
commission  is  the  word  "go." 

I  marvel  that  as  Bible  students  and  teachers,  I  marvel  that 
as  Sunday-school  workers,  we  have  not  seen  nor  heard  this 
little  word  as  we  now  see  and  hear  it.  In  a  designated 
mountain  in  GaHlee  the  risen  Lord  said  to  his  ambassadors 
to  be,  "All  authority  is  given  unto  me."  All  authority 
legislative,  all  authority  judicial,  all  authority  executive, 
"in  heaven  and  in  earth,"  and  because  of  this,  therefore, 
"go."     "Go  and  make  disciples  of  all  the  nations." 

In  obedience  to  this  supreme  mandate  of  the  Master  let 
us  "Arise  and  go."  And  as  we  go  the  Holy  Spirit  will  hold 
before  us  the  glorified  Christ.  As  we  go  we  will  carry  with 
us  the  Divine  purpose  in  respect  to  man.  As  we  go  we  will 
keep  the  Child  in  the  midst.  And  by  God's  help  we  will 
train  the  millions  of  boys  and  girls  in  our  Bible  schools 
around  the  globe  to  believe  that  the  one  great  and  gracious 
purpose  of  the  infinite  Father,  of  the  ever-present  Christ, 
and  of  the  sustaining  Holy  Spirit  is  to  bring  the  world  back 
into  the  Divine  fellowship. 

Nor  will  we  go  alone,  beloved.  "Lo,  I  am  with  you 
347 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

always"  is  the  word  of  the  victorious  Christ.  Let  us  "arise 
and  go"  back  to  Asia,  back  to  Africa,  back  to  Europe,  back 
to  AustraHa,  back  to  North  and  South  America,  back  to 
China,  Egypt,  India,  and  Japan,  back  to  the  islands  of  the 
seas — let  us  go  arm  in  arm  with  the  loving  Christ,  the  Holy 
Spirit  breathing  into  us  the  heavenly  inspiration,  full  of 
confidence  that  whatever  the  experiences  may  be  here,  there, 
yonder,  the  purpose  of  the  All-Father  will  be  executed. 
Africa  will  be  redeemed,  Asia  will  be  brought  home,  the 
Islands  of  the  Sea  will  be  made  glad  by  the  Divine  presence, 
China,  Egypt,  India,  and  Japan  will  confess  that  Jesus 
Christ  is  Lord,  and  the  birthplace  of  Christianity  will 
become  again  the  garden  of  the  Lord.  Of  this  there  can 
be  no  doubt,  God  hath  promised  it. 

The  Bible  is  the  greatest  missionary  book.  Read  the 
Old  Testament  and  underscore  the  promises  of  universal 
spiritual  blessing.  Through  the  seed  of  Abraham  all 
nations  are  to  be  blessed.  The  earth  is  to  be  full  of  the 
knowledge  of  the  Lord.  Nations  will  beat  their  swords 
into  plowshares  and  their  spears  into  pruning-hooks.  The 
little  stone  of  Daniel  will  become  a  mountain,  filling  the 
earth.  The  kingdom  of  the  prophet's  vision  will  break  in 
pieces  and  consume  all  other  kingdoms.  Jehovah  has 
promised  to  give  to  his  Son  the  heathen  for  his  inheritance 
and  the  uttermost  part  of  the  earth  for  his  possession.  And 
the  God  of  the  Old  Testament  says,  ''Look  unto  me  all  the 
ends  of  the  earth  and  be  ye  saved."  These  are  but  samples. 
The  law,  the  prophets,  and  the  Psalms  are  full  of  the  mis- 
sionary spirit. 

Open  the  New  Testament.  The  first  four  books  contain 
the  life  story  of  God's  great  Missionary.  God  had  one  Son 
and  he  made  a  foreign  missionary  of  Him!  Jesus  Christ 
was  the  first  and  the  peerless  missionary.  The  book  of  Acts 
is  a  record  of  missionary  efforts  and  victories.  The  Epistles 
of  the  New  Testament  are  letters  written  by  missionaries  to 
mission  churches.     The  last  book  of  the  Bible  tells  of  the 

348 


"  Arise,  Let  us  Go  Hence  ' ' 

time  coming  when  the  kingdom  of  this  world  will  become 
the  kingdom  of  our  Lord  and  of  his  Christ. 

The  whole  Bible  is  a  record  of  missionary  initiative, 
missionary  progress,  and  missionary  triumphs.  We  do 
well  in  this  Fifth  World's  Sunday  School  Convention  to 
recognize  the  missionary  character  of  our  text-book  and  to 
sound  out  the  missionary  note  loud,  clear,  steady,  and 
strong. 

For  many  years  I  have  been  attending  Conventions,  great 
and  small,  at  home  and  abroad.  I  have  grown  white  in  the 
service  of  our  common  Lord.  This  I  must  now  say  in 
these  last  moments  of  this  great  meeting:  I  never  associated 
with  men  and  women  whose  goodness,  purity,  unselfishness, 
and  intelligent  consecration  was  as  manifest,  without  con- 
scious effort,  as  during  these  twenty-eight  days  and  nights. 
I  never  again  can  be  the  man  I  was  when  I  descended  from 
my  mountain  home  in  Colorado  to  join  this  pilgrimage  and 
enter  into  the  spirit  of  this  great  Convention. 

"Arise,  let  us  go  hence."  You  are  my  personal  friends; 
I  would  be  the  personal  friend  of  every  man  and  woman  in 
this  audience.  I  love  you  deep  down  in  my  heart.  We 
separate  to-night,  never  again  to  meet  on  this  earth,  but  to 
meet  over  yonder  in  the  presence  of  our  loving  and  loved 
Lord,  to  recite  throughout  eternity  the  triumphs  of  his 
marvelous  grace. 

God's  blessings  be  upon  you  every  one,  here  and  every- 
where, now  and  evermore,  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord. 
Amen. 


349 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 
The  Architect  of  the  Amphitheatre 

Written  by  the  Rev.  Walter  J.  Mathams,  of  Orkney  Isles,  to  Commem- 
orate THE  Delegates'  Visit  to  the  Coliseum 

Great  Csesar  sent  an  edict  forth 

That  he  would  build  yet  still, 
Another  amphitheatre, 

To  please  the  people's  will: 
And  for  an  architect  he  chose, 

A  youth  whose  skill  and  fame, 
Had  set  the  streets  and  homes  of  Rome 

Loud  ringing  with  his  name. 

With  burning  pride  the  young  man  took 

The  trust  that  Csesar  gave, 
Raptured  that  he  should  be  acclaimed 

Proud  Csesar's  proudest  slave: 
Then  ever  at  his  task  he  wrought 

And  ever  wrought  his  best, 
From  flush  of  dawn  to  flash  of  star, 

He  knew  no  stay  nor  rest. 

And  as  the  circle  rose  and  grew 

In  grandeur,  grace,  and  height. 
The  citizens  of  Rome  flocked  out 

To  see  the  wondrous  sight; 
They  praised  the  splendour  of  his  plan. 

The  daring  of  his  deed. 
They  promised  that  a  chaplet  fair 

Should  be  his  crowning  meed. 

But  in  the  stillness  of  the  night. 

He  paced  the  Appian  Way, 
To  gather  with  God's  hidden  saints 

To  worship  and  to  pray: 
For  he  had  learned  to  love  the  Christ 

Who  for  his  soul  had  died, 
To  share  the  fellowship  of  such 

As  served  the  Crucified. 

He  passed  the  hours  in  holy  peace, 

With  living  and  with  dead, 
He  sang  their  simple  hymns  and  heard 

The  blest  Evangel  read; 
Then  backward  to  his  task  he  went, 

A  giant  in  his  might, 
Like  one  who  had  seen  God,  and  still 

Was  thrilling  with  the  sight. 


The  Architect  of  the  Amphitheatre 

At  last  his  mighty  work  was  done, 

The  final  circle  laid: 
Great  Caesar  sped  his  heralds  forth 

And  proclamation  made, 
That  every  Roman  citizen. 

Let  him  be  what  he  may, 
Should  keep  for  honor's  sake  and  his, 

A  Roman  holiday. 


They  came  in  all  their  grand  array. 

The  Senate  and  the  Court, 
The  soldier  bands  and  howling  mob, 

To  see  the  bloody  sport; 
But  first  great  Caesar  bade  them  bring 

With  trumpet  and  acclaim, 
The  man  who  built  that  circus  vast, 

To  take  his  meed  of  fame. 


They  brought  him  in  with  shout  on  shout. 

They  took  the  robe  he  wore. 
They  clothed  him  in  a  richer  garb 

Than  he  had  worn  before; 
They  placed  the  chaplet  on  his  head. 

By  Caesar's  own  right  hand. 
They  hailed  him  then  with  cheer  on  cheer, 

An  honor  to  thq»,land. 


This  function  o'er,  they  cried  again 

"Great  Caesar  give  us  sport. 
Bring  in  the  Christians,  bring  them  in 

And  let  their  time  be  short" 
Great  Ceesar  bowed,  the  gates  rolled  back, 

And  stopped  with  sickening  thud; 
Five  beardless  youths  came  calmly  in 

To  seal  their  faith  with  blood. 


They  gazed  upon  the  howling  host 

Then  looked  straight  up  to  God, 
And  prayed  for  grace  to  tread  the  road 

Their  great  Redeemer  trod — 
"Bring  in  the  lions!  bring  them  in!" 

Great  Caesar  bowed  once  more 
And  soon,  the  prayer,  the  hymn,  the  pain, 

And  life  itself  were  o'er. 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

The  architect  had  seen  it  all, 

Their  calmness  and  their  end, 
Their  farewell  glance  fell  on  his  soul 

Like  kisses  from  a  friend, 
He  saw  the  wet  and  scattered  sand, 

The  lions'  clotted  mane, 
And  shreds  of  spotless  white  all  dyed, 

With  deep,  dark,  common  stain. 


Five  playmates  of  his  infant  years, 

Five  comrades  of  his  youth. 
Had  died  the  death  for  love  of  Christ 

Blood-witnessing  the  truth; 
And  could  he  false  and  faithless  be 

To  whom  God's  peace  was  given? 
Comrades  for  Christ  on  earth,  must  be 

Comrades  with  Christ  in  heaven. 


Then  up  he  stood  with  stone-set  face 

Before  the  startled  crowd, 
And  spoke  the  faith  that  filled  his  soul 

In  accents  clear  and  loud; 
"I  am  a  Christian,  and  I  too 

Will  follow  Christ  till  death, 
I  serve  and  love  the  Crucified 

Jesus  of  Nazareth!'^ 


Like  lightning  in  its  fearful  speed, 

Like  lightning  in  its  fire. 
Ten  thousand  flaming  eyes  flashed  forth 

The  fury  of  their  ire; 
And  with  a  roar  like  thunder  roll, 

They  cried  with  frantic  breath — 
"Then  follow  Christ  the  Nazarene 

And  follow  Him  through  death." 


They  tore  the  chaplet  from  his  brow, 

They  rent  his  robe  in  twain, 
They  hurled  him  through  the  shrieking  air 

To  join  his  comrades  slain; 
And  then  with  wild  hyena  rage, 

They  laughed,  then  looked,  and  saw 
The  hero  of  their  love  and  hate, 

Beneath  the  lion's  paw. 


The  Architect  of  the  Amphitheatre 

"So  perish  all  who  serve  the  Christ" 

The  crime-wreathed  Ceesar  cried, 
"So  perish  all  who  call  Him  King 

Whom  Pilate  crucified." 
Ten  thousand  fulsome  tongues  outrang, 

As  if  in  bloody  tryst, — 
"So  perish  all  who  call  Him  King, 

The  accursed  thorn-crowned  Christ." 

But  far  above  the  Seven  Hills, 

Where  Caesar  was  unknown, 
Ten  thousand  times  ten  thousand  saints. 

Stood  singing  near  the  throne; 
Another  soul  had  entered  heaven, 

Another  fight  was  won. 
Another  saint  stood  waiting  there, 

To  hear  the  blest  "Well  done." 

How  changed  the  scene  to  him  who  came! 

The  twinkling  of  an  eye 
Had  swept  him  from  that  ring  of  death 

To  immortality. 
One  moment  braving  all  alone. 

The  demon-scowls  of  Rome, 
The  next  by  happy  angels  borne 

Up  to  his  Father's  home. 

There  stood  the  Christ  to  welcome  him, 

But  oh,  what  tongue  can  tell, 
The  music  of  His  gentle  voice, 

His  love  unspeakable! 
"Well  done,  thou  loving  soul,  well  done, 

Faithful  in  fiercest  strife, 
They  tore  the  garland  from  thy  brow 

Take  now  the  Crown  of  life, 

And  all  the  angels  round  the  throne, 

Before  the  Sacred  Trine, 
Sang  on  "Well  done,  brave  soul,  well  done, 

Enter  the  joy  divine. 
Glory  and  honor  to  the  Lamb, 

Whom  Pilate  once  did  slay, 
Whose  pierced  hand  gives  thee  the  crown 

Which  fadeth  not  away. 

Editor's  Note. — This  poem  made  a  deep  impression  upon  the 
delegates  at  their  meeting  in  the  Coliseum,  not  because  of  historical 
accuracy,  but  on  account  of  its  author's  vivid  rendering  of  his 
thought  and  the  exceptional  circumstances  of  its  utterance. 

353 


APPENDIX 


World  Statistics  of  the  Sunday  School 

These  statistics  are  based  upon  reports  compiled  for  the  Centen- 
nial of  the  Sunday  School  Union  of  London,  1903  ;  upon  a  revision 
for  the  World's  Fourth  Sunday  School  Convention  in  1904  ;  upon 
reports  from  various  countries  to  the  World's  Fifth  Sunday  School 
Convention  in  Rome,  1907.  The  figures  for  North  America  are 
from  the  statistics  reported  to  the  Eleventh  International  Sunday- 
School  Convention,  Toronto,  1905.  Where  the  total  enrolment 
column  exceeds  the  sum  of  the  two  preceding  columns,  the  Home 
Department  membership  is  included.  It  is  not  claimed  that  this 
table  is  complete  or  accurate. 


EUROPE 
Great  Britain  and  Ireland    . 

Austro-Hungary 

Belgium 

Bulgaria 

Denmark 

Finland 

France 

Germany 

Greece 

Holland      

Italy 

Norway 

Portugal 

Russia 

Spain   .    . 

Sweden 

Switzerland 

Turkey  in  Europe 

ASIA 

India 

Persia 

Siam 

China      

Japan      

Turkey  in  Asia 

AFRICA 

NORTH  AMERICA 

United  States 

Canada   

Newfoundland  and  Labrador 

West  Indies 

Central  America      

Mexico 

SOUTH  AMERICA   .    .   .    . 

OCEANICA 

Australasia 

Fiji  Islands 

Hawaiian  Islands 

Other  Islands 

Total,  WORLD 


25.432,936 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

World's    Sunday   School   Conventions   Previously 

Held 

1.  London,  England,  July  1-4,  1889;  F.  F.  Belsey, 
President. 

2.  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  U.  S.  A.,  September  3-5,  1893; 
B.  F.  Jacobs,  President. 

3.  London,  England,  July  11-15,  1898;  Edward  Towers, 
President. 

4.  Jerusalem,  Palestine,  April  17-19,  1904;  Edward  K. 
Warren,  President. 

Officers   of    the   World's   Fourth  Sunday  School 
Convention,  Jerusalem,  April  17-19,  1904- 

President:  E.  K.  Warren,  Three  Oaks,  Michigan. 

Past  Presidents:  F.  F.  Belsey,  London;  Edward  Towers, 
London. 

Vice-Presidents:  J.  W.  Flavelle,  Canada;  Mrs.  Winston, 
Rev.  H.  H.  Bell,  J.  D.  Haskell,  Judge  J.  W.  Martin, 
Hon.  John  Wanamaker,  United  States;  Dr.  J.  Monro  Gib- 
son, W.  H.  Groser,  Archdeacon  William  Macdonald  Sin- 
clair, Charles  Waters,  Great  Britain;  Count  Bernstorff,  Ger- 
many; Prince  Bernadotte,  Sweden;  WilHam  Burt,  D.D, 
Italy;  J.  W.  Butler,  D.D.,  Mexico;  with  the  retiring  presi- 
dents, ex  officio^  and  members  of  the  Executive  Committee 
of  the  Convention. 

Executive  Committee:  United  States — George  W.  Bailey, 
Chairman;  H.  J.  Heinz,  F.  A.  Wells,  W.  N.  Hartshorn, 
A.  B.  McCrillis;  Canada— S.  P.  Leet,  H.  L.  Lovering; 
Great  Britain — J.  E.  Balmer,  F.  Clements,  W.  Ingram, 
G.  Shipway,  Deputy  Cuthbertson. 

Joint  Secretaries:  W.  N.  Hartshorn,  Boston;  the  Rev. 
Frank  Johnson,  Editor  of  The  Sunday-School  Chronicle, 
London. 

Enrolment  Secretary:  W.  J.  Semelroth,  St.  Louis, 
Missouri. 

358 


Officers  Elected  at  Rome 


The  World's  Sunday  School  Association, 

Officers  elected  at  the  World's  Fifth  Sunday  School  Con- 
vention, Rome,  May  18-23,  1907 

President 

Rev.  F.  B.  Meyer,    B.    A.,    Memorial    Hall,    Farringdon 
Street,  London,  E.  C. 

Past  Presidents  of  the  World's  S.  S.  Convention 

Mr.  F.  F.  Belsey,  J.  P.,  12  Russell  Square,  London,  W.  C. 
Mr.  Edward  Towers,  Park  House,  Saxmundham,  England. 
Mr.  E.  K.  Warren,  Three  Oaks,  Michigan,  U.  S.  A. 

Vice-Presidents 

Bishop  J.  C.  Hartzell,  Funchal,  Madeira  Islands. 

Mr.    Chas.    Waters,    26    Montrell   Road,    Streatham   Hill, 

London,  S.  W. 
Justice  J.  J.  Maclaren,  Osgoode  Hall,  Toronto,  Canada. 
Mr.   E.   W.   Fritchley,   Canada  Buildings,   Hornby  Road, 

Fort  Bombay,  India. 

Honorary  Vice-Presidents 
Great  Britain 

The  Venerable  Archdeacon  of  London,    Chapter  House, 

St.  Paul's,  London,  E.  C. 
Rev.  J.  Monro  Gibson,  M.  A.,  LL.  D.,  iii  Abbey  Road, 

St.  John's  Wood,  London,  N.  W. 
The  Rt.  Hon.  Lord  Kinnaird,  i  Pall  Mall  East,  London, 
S.  W. 
Mr.  W.   H.   Groser,  B.   Sc,  North  Lynne,   Crouch  End, 

London,  N. 

359 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

United  States  of  America 
Hon.  John  Wanamaker,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 
Rev.  H.  H.  Bell,  D.  D.,  1548  Fulton  Street,  San  Francisco, 

Cal. 
Mr.  Wm.  A.  Wilson,  Houston,  Texas. 
Bishop  Charles  B.  Galloway,  Jackson,  Miss. 

Germany 
Pastor  F.  E.  Basche,  22  Stromstrasse,  Berlin. 

North  Europe 
Prince  Bernadotte,  Stockholm,  Sweden. 

Europe 
Bishop  William  Burt,  Zurich,  Switzerland. 

Russia 
Baron  Uxkull,  Laitz  Post,  Liwa,  Esthland,  Russia. 

Japan 

Mr.  Kajinosuke  Ibuka,  M.  A.,  D.  D. 
Meiji  Gakum,  Shirokane,  Shiba,  Tokyo. 

Joint  Secretaries 

Mr.  W.  N.  Hartshorn,    85    Broad    Street,    Boston,    Mass., 

U.  S.  A. 
Rev.  Carey  Bonner,  56  Old  Bailey,  London,  E.  C. 

Treasurer 
Mr.  A.  B.  McCrillis,  Providence,  Rhode  Island,  U.  S.  A. 

Executive  Committee 
Chairman 

Dr.  George  W.  Bailey,  North  American  Building,  Phila- 
delphia, Pa.,  U.  S.  A. 

360 


Officers  Elected  at  Rome 

Recording  Secretary 

Mr.  Marion   Lawrance,   Hartford   Building,    Chicago,  111., 
U.  S.  A. 

Statistical  Secretary 
Mr.  George    Shipway,    J.    P.,    Camp    Hill,    Birmingham, 
England. 

Great  Britain 

Mr.  Arthur  Black,  Arcade  Building,  Lord  Street,  Liverpool, 

England. 
Mr.  Jas.  S.  Crowther,  89  Bethune  Road,  Stamford  Hill., 

London,  N. 
Rev.  Frank  Johnson,  57  Ludgate  Hill,  London,  E.  C. 
Sir  George  White,  M.  P.,  Eaton  Grange,  Norwich  England. 
Mr.  George    Shipway,    J.    P.,    Camp    Hill,    Birmingham, 

England. 
Mr.  Andrew    Crawford,     70    Bothwell    Street,     Glasgow, 

Scotland. 

United  States  of  America 

Mr.  H.  J.  Heinz,  Pittsburg,  Pa. 

Hon.  J.  W.  Foster,  1323  Eighteenth  St.,  Washington,  D.  C. 
Mr.  Fred.  A.  Wells,  806  Hartford  Building,  Chicago,  111. 
Mr.  Frank  L.  Brown,  mo  Bushwick  Avenue,  Brooklyn, 

N.  Y. 
Mr.  N.  B.  Broughton,  227  New  Bern  Avenue,  Raleigh,  N.  C. 
Mr.  D.  S.  Johnson,  Tacoma,  Washington. 

Canada 

Mr.  Seth  P.  Leet,  K.  C,  9  St.  James  Street,  Montreal. 
Mr.  F.  Fudger,  40  Maple  Avenue,  Rosedale,  Toronto. 

North  Europe  {Sweden,  Norway  and  Denmark) 

Rev.  Ole  Olsen,  Henrichsensgd,  5,  Kristiania. 

361 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

Germany 
Mr.  J.  G.  Lehmann,  Jager  Str.  ii,  Kassel,  Germany. 

France,  Switzerland  and  Belgium 
Pastor  Bieler,  ^7,  Rue  des  Saints  Peres,  Paris. 

Italy 
Cav.  Ernesto  Filippini,  Via  Palermo,  37,  Rome. 

Levant 

Rev.    J.    P.    McNaughton,    American    Mission,    Smyrna, 
Turkey.     (Open  mail  via  London.) 

India 
Rev.  Richard  Burges,  Jubbulpore,  C.  P.,  India. 


Comitato   Esecutivo 

Dr.  Geo.  W.  Bailey,  Presidente.     Philadelphia,  U.  S.  A. 
Mr.  William  N.  Hartshorn. 
Mr.  H.  J.  Heinz. 
Mr.  A.  B.  McCrillis. 
Mr.  F.  A.  Wells. 
Mr.  S.  P.  Leet,  K.C. 
Mr.  Henry  L.  Lovering. 
Mr.  J.  E.  Balmer. 
Mr.  Frank  Clements. 
Mr.  J.  Ingram. 
Mr.  G.  Shipway. 
Deputy  C.  J.  Cuthbertson. 
Rev.  Carey  Bonner. 
Cav.  Prof.  Ernesto  Filippini. 

362 


Comitato  Esecutivo 

COMITATO  D'ONORE. 

Presidente:  Rev.  Prof.  Enrico  Piggott,  B.A.,  Presidente  del  Comitato 
Nazionale. 

Rev.  J.  Gordon  Gray,  D.D.,  Tesoriere  del  Comitato  Nazionale. 

Prof.  Dott.  Cav.  Ernesto  Filippini,  Segretario  Generale  del  Comitato 
Nazionale. 

Reverend!  Lodovico  Conti,  William  Burgess,  N.  Walling  Clark, 
Campbell  J.  Wall,  Arturo  Muston,  Cav.  Saverio  Fera,  Dottor 
G.  D.  WhittinghiU,  N.  H.  Shaw,  Dr.  Grasset  Baldwin,  Dr. 
Schubert,  Ernesto  Comba,  Dr.  A^ittorio  Bani,  membri  del  Com- 
itato Nazionale. 

Reverendi  Antonio  Rostagno,  Enrico  Meynier,  Dr.  Amedeo  Autelli, 
Dr.  Luigi  Lala,  Guiseppe  Cervi,  Prof.  Vincenzo  Tummolo, 
Giuseppe  Nagni,  Amadio  Dal  Canto,  R.  O.  Walker,  Dr.  Walter 
Dowry,  Prof.  Vincenzo  Ravi,  Luigi  Alario  Galassi,  Dr.  George 
B.  Taylor,  Dr.  Everett  Gill,  Alessandro  Petocchi,  Silvio  Buffa, 
John  Thomas,  W.  T.  Seitter,  Ernesto  Senarega. 

Signori  Prof.  Comm.  Baldassare  Labanca  della  R.  Universita  di 
Napoli,  Prof.  Comm.  Alessandro  Chiappelli  della  R.  Universita 
di  Napoli,  Prof.  Comm.  Vincenzo  Colucci  della  Regia  Universita 
di  Pisa,  Hector  de  Castro,  Console  Generale  degli  Stati  Uniti, 
Dr.  Roberto  Prochet,  Ernesto  Peter,  Professor  Edward  Spencer. 
Cav.  Augusto  Casciani,  Cav.  Ing.  Liborio  Coppola,  Prof.  Cav. 
Nicolo  Introna,  Comm.  Ing.  Ferdinando  Turin,  Dr.  Giuseppe 
Campanella,  Prof.  Enrico  Girardet,  Prof.  Cav.  Annibale  Fiori, 
Prof.  Cav.  Francesco  Saverio  Collina,  Capitano  Cav.  Romolo 
Piva,  Philip  Chubb,  Hale  Benton,  Prof.  Evans  Francini,  Prof. 
Comm.  Emilio  Piovanelli,  Carlo  Ferreri. 


COMITATO  D'ONORE  DELLE  SIGNORE. 

Signore  Berta  Turin,  Alice  Schiavoni,  W.  Burgess,  C.  Wall,  A.  Muston 
Edwige  Comba,  Elisa  Fera,  V.  Bani,  Susy  WhittinghiU,  N.  H. 
Shaw,  Grasset  Baldwin,  A.  Rostan,  Elisa  Meynier,  Ved.  Wall, 
Angelina  Conti,  E.  Spencer,  Nadine  Prochet,  Scilla  Cervi, 
V.  Tummolo,  G.  Nagni,  A.  Dal  Canto,  Ines  Ferreri,  R.  O. 
Walker,  V.  Ravi,  Luigi  M.  Galassi,  E.  GiU,  Ved.  Paschetto,  A. 
Petocchi,  K.  Burkaell,  Maria  Filippini,  W.  Clark,  G.  Falorni, 
F.  Boriglioni,  G.  Campanelia,  Petrali,  Schubert,  Girardet,  Dora 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

Schoonover,  Sofia  Bompiani,  Piva,  Casciani,  Benton,  Lala, 
Bice,  Chubb,  Piovanelli 
Signorine  Eva  Odgers,  Edith  Burt,  Diaconessa  Laurie,  Edith  Swift 
Taylor,  Julia  Yates,  Giulietta  Wall,  Fanny  Morgan,  Mary 
Piggott,  Gray,  Susanne  Delord,  Italia  Garibaldi,  Dottoressa 
Prof,  a  Laura  Filippini,  Beatrice  Filippini,  Elena  Ravi,  Mary 
Taylor,  Elena  Davio,  K.  Burkaell,  Iva  Bocci,  Iside  Imperato, 
Milliet,  Ris,  M.  Farrar,  Sofia  Farrar,  Petre,  Prof,  a  Amilda 
Pons,  Prof,  a  Elena  Pons,  Alice  Perodi,  Maria  Sell,  Emilia 
Nebel,  Luisa  Socci,  Eugenia  Socci,  Benton,  Lea  Lala,  Teresa 
Lala,   Miss  Edwardes,  Agnes  Edwardes,  Piovanelli. 

COMITATO  ORDINATORE. 

Presidente  Prof.  Cav.  Dr.  Ernesto  Filippini,  Segretario  Generale  del 
Comitato  Nazionale. 

Signori  Ernesto  Peter,  Carlo  Ferreri,  Prof.  Lodovico  Paschetto, 
Salvatore  Mastrogiovanni,  Paolo  Paschetto,  Prof.  Alessandro 
De  Angelis,  Raffaello  Conti,  Rag.  Spartaco  Papini,  Professor 
W.  Weber,  Prof.  Giacomo  Falorni,  Alfredo  Baldi,  Prof.  Giovanni 
Ayassot,  Canzio  Centoni,  Fiorenzo  Boriglioni,  Francesco  Lo  Bue, 
Nicola  Macioce,  Vincenzo  Meiodia,  Aoio  Malan,  Ugo  Ragusa, 
Paolo  Rocchini,  Michele  Catalano,  Giovanni  Terzano,  Samuele 
Taliero,  Guido  Rossi,  Guglielmo  Angiolillo,  Paolo  Rossi, 
Emanuele  Paschetto,  Virgilio  Ferrucci,  Luigi  Sarti. 

Programme  of  the  World's  Fifth  Sunday  School  Con- 
vention in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
via  Firenze  38,  Rome,  May  18-23,  1907 

Theme  : 
The  Sunday  School  and  the  Great  Commission 

Rev.  Carey  Bonner,  Great  Britain,  Worship-leader 

SATURDAY  MORNING,  MAY  i8. 

Reception-conference,  io.oo  a.  m. — The  oflEicers  of  the  Conven- 
tion, members  of  the  National  and  Local  Committees  and  Foreign 
Missionaries  who  are  delegates  are  invited  to  attend  an  informal 
reception  and  Conference  with  the  World's  Executive  Committee  in 
the  rooms  of  the  President,  Mr.  E.  K.  Warren,  Hotel  Quirinal,  Room 
No.  105, 

3H 


Programme  of  the  World's  Fifth  Convention 

SATURDAY  AFTERNOON,  MAY  i8. 

First  Session,  2.30  p.  m. — Meeting  of  the  World's  Executive 
Committee  for  prayer  and  conference  with  the  Italian  National  Com- 
mittee.    Hotel  Quirinal,  Room  No.  105. 

Appointment  of  Committees  on:  Enrollment;  Resolutions;  Nomi- 
nations; Place  for  Next  Convention;  Recommendations  and  other 
business. 

SATURDAY  EVENING,  MAY  18. 

Musical  Programme,  7.30  P.  M. 

String  Quartet. 

Pianoforte  Solos. 

\^iolin  and  Violoncello  Solos. 

Second  Session,  8.00  p.  m. — Welcome  meeting.     President  E.  K. 
Warren,  U.  S.  A.,  will  introduce  Rev.  Enrico  Piggott,  B.A.,  President 
of  the  Italian  National  Committee,  who  will  occupy  the  chair. 
Devotional  Services;  Music  by  the  Choir. 

Greetings  by:  Rev.  Enrico  Piggott,  B.A.;  Rev.  Arturo  Muston, 
Pres.  Waldensian  Church;  Miss  Italia  Garibaldi;  The  Hon.  Lloyd 
Griscom,  the  American  Ambassador. 

Responses:  Great  Britain,  by  Rev.  G.  Campbell  Morgan,  D.D.; 
Scotland,  by  Mr.  D.  Ballantyne;  Japan,  by  Rev.  Dr.  A.  D.  Hail,  of 
Osaka;  India,  by  Principal  Cotelingham;  Continental  countries  by 
Pastor  Basche,  Germany;  North  America,  by  Mr.  E.  K.  Warren. 

Reading  of  President  Roosevelt's  letter. 

Benediction  bv  Rev.  F.  B.  Meyer. 


SUNDAY,  MAY  19. 
W^ORLD'S  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  DAY. 

Delegates  are  requested  to  spend  at  least  one-half  hour  of  the  early 
morning  in  private  prayer  for  Sunday-schools  throughout  the  world. 

9.15  A.  M. — Sunday-school  hour  in  all  Evangelical  Churches. 
Delegates  will  visit  the  schools. 

10.45  A.  M. — The  various  churches  of  Rome  will  hold  their  regular 
services,  closing  with  the  Communion,  delegates  making  their  own 
choice  as  to  places  of  worship.  Directions  are  on  the  cover  of  the 
program. 

365 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

SUNDAY  AFTERNOON. 

Third  Session,  4.00  p.  m. — President  E.  K.  Warren  in  the  chair. 
Convention    sermon,    "  The  Claim    of   the    Child,"  by  Rev.  G. 
Campbell  Morgan,  D.D.,  Great  Britain. 

SUNDAY  EVENING. 

Fourth  Session,  8.00  p.  m.— International  Festival  of  Praise 
and  Responsive  Service.     Leader:  The  Rev.  Carey  Bonner. 

MONDAY,  MAY  20. 

Fifth  Session,  9.00  a.  m.: 

(a)  Committee  Meetings. 

(b)  Conferences  in  Italian  in  the  Waldensian  Church. 
Rev.  Enrico  Piggott,  B.  A.,  presiding. 

(c)  Conference  in  English  on  "Organized  Work,"  in  the  Amer- 
ican Chapel  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Mr.  Jas. 
S.  Crowther,  of  London,  presiding.  Secretaries  Lawrance, 
Carey  Bonner,  Pearcc,  Dunlop,  Merritt,  and  Bryner  will 
be  present. 

(d)  Conference  in  German  in  Via  Napoli  58. 
German  Delegates  to  elect  Chairman  and  Speakers. 

10.00  A.  M. — Mr.  A.  B.  McCrillis,  U.  S.  A.,  presiding. 

Quiet  half  hour.     The  Rev.  F.  B.  Meyer,  B.A.,  closed  doors. 
10.30  A.  M. — The  Sunday-school  Exposition. 

Rev.  C.  R.  Blackall,  D.D.,  U.  S.  A. 
11.00  A.  M. — Lecture:  Part  I.     "Paul's   Footsteps  in   Rome." 

Rev.  J.  Gordon  Gray,  D.D.,  Italy. 

MONDAY  AFTERNOON. 

Sixth  Session,  2.30  p.  m. — Bishop  William  Burt,  presiding. 
Praise  and  Prayer. 

2.45  P.  M. — Messages  from  the  field:  Sunday-school  Missionary 
work  on  the  Continent  of  Europe. 

Brief  General  Statement:  Mr.  Charles  Waters  (Chairman  of 
Continental  Mission  Committee). 

Italy,  Signor  Filippini;  Germany,  Pastor  Kaiser;  Russia,  Herr 
John  Hanisch;  Sweden,  Herr  August  Palm;  Norway,  Pastor  J.  Selle- 
vold;  Switzerland,  G.  de  Tscharner;  Bohemia,  Rev.  A.  W.  Clark, 
D.D.;  Hungary,  Rev.  Gyula  Forgacs;  Bulgaria,  Rev.  E.  E.  Count; 
France  Pastor  Bieler. 

366 


Programme  of  the  World's  Fifth  Convention 

MONDAY  EVENING. 

Seventh  Session. — President  E.  K.  Warren  in  the  Chair. 

8.00  P.  M.— Service  of  Praise.     Song  by  Boys  of  Methodist  College. 

8.30  P.  M. — Platform  meeting.     Brief  addresses. 

Message  from  the  King  of  Italy. 

9.00  P.  M.— Address:  Africa,  Bishop  J.  C.  Hartzell;  Asia  Minor, 
Rev.  Dr.  T.  D.  Christie;  Palestine,  Rev.  A.  Edward  Kelsey;  The 
Home  Department,  W.  A.  Duncan,  Ph.D.,  U.  S.  A.;  South  Africa, 
D.  Knight;  North  Africa,  Rev.  J.  J.  Cooksey. 

TUESDAY,  MAY  21. 

Eighth  Session,  9.00  a.  m. — Committee  Meetings. 
Conferences: 

(a)  In  ItaKan  in  the  Waldensian  Church. 

Rev.  Robert  O.  Walker,  of  Florence,  presiding. 

W.  A.  Duncan,  Ph.D.,  U.  S.  A.,  will  address  the  Conference 

through  an  interpreter  upon  "  The  Home  Department  of  the 

Sunday-school." 

(b)  In  English  in  the  American  Chapel  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  Mr.  George  Shipway,  presiding. 

(c)  German  Conference,  Via  Napoli  58. 
10.30  A.  M. — Mr.  E.  K.  Warren,  presiding. 

Quiet  half-hour  in  charge  of  Dr.   Campbell  Morgan.     Closed 
doors. 
11.00  A.  M.— Lecture:  Part  II.     "Paul's     Footsteps     in     Rome," 
Rev.  J.  Gordon  Gray,  D.D.,  Italy. 

TUESDAY  AFTERNOON. 

Ninth  Session. — President  E.  K.  Warren  in  Chair. 

3.00  p.  M. — Devotional  Services. 

3.15  p.  M. — Announcements,  etc. 

3.30  P.  M.— Address:  "Foundation   Truths  for    Children."     Mrs. 
Mary  Foster  Bryner,  U.  S.  A. 

3.50  P.  M.— Messages  from  the  Field:  In  Jerusalem,  Mrs.  John  P. 
Newman;  Great  Britain,  Mr.  F.  F.  Belsey,  J.P.;  Japan,  Mr.  F.  L. 
Brown;  India,  Principal  Cotelingam  of  Wardlaw  College,  Bellary; 
Korea,  Rev.  J.  G.  Dunlop. 

367 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

TUESDAY   EVENING. 

Tenth  Session. — Mr.  F.  F.  Belsey,  J. P.,  presiding. 

8.00  p.  M. — Service  of  Praise.  Song  by  Girls  of  Methodist  College, 
Via  Garibaldi. 

8.30  P.  M. — Platform  Meeting.     Brief  Addresses. 

9.00  P.  M. — Addresses:  Madame  Bieler,  of  Paris;  Belgium,  Rev. 
Henri  Anet;  Spain,  Rev.  Senor  F.  Albricias. 

WEDNESDAY,  MAY  22. 

Eleventh  Session,  8.30  a.  m. — Committee  Meetings. 
Conferences: 

(a)  In  Italian  in  the  Waldensian  Church. 
Rev.  Alfredo  Taglialatela,  presiding. 

(b)  In  English  in  the  American  Chapel  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  Mr.  Philip  E.  Howard,  presiding. 

(c)  German  Conference  in  Via  Napoli  58. 
10.00  A.  M. — Mr.  E.  K.  Warren,  presiding. 

10.30  A.  M. — Address:  "The  Sunday-school  Organized  for  Ser- 
vice," Mr.  Marion  Lawrance,  U.  S.  A. 

Report  of  the  Committee  on  a  Policy  for  the  World's  Sunday-school 
Work,  Bishop  Hartzell,  Chairman. 

Report  of  Nominating  Committee  and  election  of  officers. 

Chautauqua  salute  to  President  F.  B.  Meyer. 

11.00  A.  M. — Address:  "The  Great  Apostle,"  The  Rev.  Dr.  G. 
Campbell  Morgan,  Great  Britain. 

WEDNESDAY  AFTERNOON. 

Twelfth  Session. — Mr.  H.  J.  Heinz,  U.  S.  A.,  presiding. 

3.00  p.  M. — Devotional  Service. 

3.15  p.  M. — Messages  from  the  field :  The  United  States  of  America, 
Mr.  W.  N.  Hartshorn;  Greece,  Rev.  Demetrius  Kalopothakis; 
South  America  and  the  West  Indies,  Mr.  W.  C.  Pearce;  West  Indies, 
Rev.  Dr.  W.  S.  Whittier,  Trinidad;  Work  among  the  Negroes  in 
America,  Dr.  J.  E.  Shepard;  Palestine,  Rev.  A.  E.  Thompson, 
Jerusalem. 

5.00  P.  M. — Address:  "The  Sunday-school  as  a  Missionary  Force." 
Mr.  A.  C.  Monro,  Great  Britain. 

-.68 


Programme  of  the  World's  Fifth  Convention 

WEDNESDAY  EVENING. 

Thirteenth  Session. — Mr.  E.  K.  Warren,  Presiding. 

8.00  p.  M. — Service  of  Praise.  Song  by  Boys  from  the  Gould 
Memorial  Home. 

8.30  P.  M. — Platform  Meeting.     Brief  Addresses. 

9.00  P.  M. — Address:  "The  Oneness  of  Believers,"  The  Rev. 
F.  B.  Meyer,  B.A.,  Great  Britain. 


THURSDAY,  MAY '23. 

Fourteenth  Session,  8.30  a.  m. — Conferences: 

(a)  In  Italian  in  the  Waldensian  Church,   Prof.   John  Luzzi, 
President. 

9.30  A.  M. — Quiet  Hour  in  charge  of  Rev.  F.  B.  Meyer,  B.A.,  closed 
doors. 

10.00  A.  M. — Address:  "The  International  Bible  Reading  Asso- 
ciation," Mr.  Charles  Waters,  Great  Britain. 

10.20  A.  M. — Messages  from  the  Field:  Austria,  Rev.  J.  S.  Porter, 
Prague,  Bohemia;  Portugal,  Rev.  H.  Maxwell  Wright;  Egypt,  Rev. 
Chauncey  Murch;  Hawaii,  Rev.  E,  B.  Turner. 

11.30  A.  M. — Report  of  Committee,  unfinished  business. 

THURSDAY  AFTERNOON. 
4.00  P.  M. — ^Visit  to  the  Coliseum. 

THURSDAY  EVENING. 

Fifteenth  Session. — Mr.  E.  K.  Warren,  Presiding. 

8.00  p.  M. — Praise  Service. 

8.30  p.  M. — The  Sunday-school  Forum:  The  Significance  and 
Influence  of  the  Convention.  Addresses  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  N.  Wal- 
ling Clark,  Italy,  Dr.  George  W.  Bailey,  U.  S.  A.,  Rev.  E.  E.  Braith- 
waite,  U.  S.  A.,  Rev.  Joseph  Clark,  Congo  Free  State,  President  F. 
B.  Meyer,  B.A.,  Great  Britain,  and  others. 

9.15  p.  M.- — Closing  Address:  "Arise,  Let  us  go  Hence,"  Rev. 
B.  B.  Tyler,  D.D.,  U.  S.  A. 

Mizpah. 

24  369 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

The  World's  Sunday  School  Association. 

Rome,  Italy,  May  22,  1907. 

ITS  PURPOSE— POLICY— FIELD. 

Whereas,  the  Sunday  and  Bible  schools  open  the  broadest 
and  most  attractive  avenue  into  the  Church,  and  afford 
the  widest  and  most  profitable  field  for  the  co-operation  of 
the  whole  Church  in  the  evangehzation  of  the  world;  and 

Whereas,  the  work  of  the  World's  Sunday  School  Con- 
vention has  been  signally  blessed  of  God  in  the  past,  it  has 
become  necessary  to  provide  for  a  more  formal  and  per- 
manent organization  by  which  this  world-wide  movement, 
so  providentially  inaugurated,  may  be  made  still  more  effi- 
cient and  its  continued  prosecution  provided  for;  therefore. 

Resolved:  i.  That  hereafter  the  ''World's  Sunday 
School  Convention"  shall  be  known  as  the  "WORLD'S 
SUNDAY    SCHOOL    ASSOCIATION." 

2.  That  this  Association  shall  hold  Conventions,  and 
gather  information  concerning  the  condition  of  Sunday 
Schools  throughout  the  world,  by  correspondence,  visitation, 
and  other  methods. 

3.  That  it  shall  seek  to  extend  the  work,  and  increase  the 
efficiency  of  Sunday  Schools,  by  co-operation  with  Sunday 
School  and  Missionary  organizations,  and  otherwise,  espe- 
cially in  those  regions  of  the  world  most  in  need  of  help. 

4.  That  it  shall  seek  to  improve,  so  far  as  possible,  the 
methods  of  organization  and  instruction  in  Sunday  Schools, 
and  promote  the  formation  of  Sunday  School  Unions  and 
Associations. 

5.  There  shall  be  an  Executive  Committee,  elected  at 
this — Rome — and  each  succeeding  World's  Convention, 
to  consist  of  the  elected  officers  of  the  Convention,  namely, 
President,  four  Vice-Presidents,  two  Secretaries,  and 
Treasurer,  the  Past-Presidents,  six  Members  each  from  the 
United  States  and  Great  Britain,  two  from  Canada,  and 
not  less  than  ten   from  other  parts   of  the   world.     The 

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The  World's  Sunday  School  Association 

Treasurer  shall  be  elected  by  the  Executive   Committee. 
Additional  Honorary  Vice-Presidents  may  be  elected. 

6.  The  government  and  administration  of  the  Association, 
when  the  Conventions  are  not  in  session,  shall  be  vested  in 
the  Executive  Committee.  Said  Committee  shall  have 
power  to  frame  a  Constitution,  and,  if  deemed  advisable, 
secure  an  act  of  incorporation,  and  have  full  power  to  do 
whatsoever  is  necessary  to  promote  the  interests  of  the 
Association.  Five  members  shall  constitute  a  quorum  for 
the  transaction  of  business,  but  the  minutes  of  each  meeting 
shall  be  communicated  to  absent  members  of  the  Committee, 
and,  upon  the  receipt  of  the  approval  by  a  majority  of  the 
entire  Committee,  their  action  becomes  effective. 

Your  Committee  further  recommends: 
That,  in  view  of  the  widening  opportunities  for  stimulating 
and  developing  Sunday  School  work  in  the  Empires  of  India, 
China,  Japan  and  Korea,  and  in  the  Philippine  Islands, 
immediate  action  should  be  taken  in  these  countries  by 
this  Association: 

1.  That  the  work  in  India  be  continued  by  the  India 
Sunday  School  Union,  supported  by  the  British  section  of 
the  World's  Sunday  School  Association. 

2.  That  the  work  in  China  be  commended  to  both  the 
British  and  American  sections  of  the  World's  Sunday 
School  Association,  the  division  of  fields  of  labour  to  be 
referred  to  the  Executive  Committee. 

3.  That  the  work  in  Japan,  Korea  and  the  Philippine 
Islands  be  especially  under  the  care  and  supervision  of  the 
American  section  of  the  World's  Sunday  School  Association. 

Signed:    J.    C.   Hartzell,   Africa,   Chairman. 
F.  F.  Belsey,  England. 
Carey  Bonner,  England. 
A.  B.  McCrillis,  U^  S.  A. 
Frank  L.  Brown,  U.  S.  A. 
Elson  I.  Rexford,  Canada. 
371 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 


Resolutions 

Adopted  by  the  World's  Fifth  Sunday  School  Convention  at  its 
Sessions  in  the  City  of  Rome,  May  23,  1907 

Resolved: 

1.  That  the  President  be  requested  to  send  a  form  of 
petition  to  be  forwarded  to  the  International  Reform 
Bureau,  for  presentation  to  all  governments  whose  subjects 
are  in  any  way  concerned  in  the  traffic  in  intoxicating  liquors 
carried  on  with  native  races: 

Inasmuch  as  the  Senate  of  the  United  States  has  invited 
all  civilized  governments  to  unite  in  making  laws  and 
treaties  to  prohibit  the  sale  of  intoxicants  and  opium  to 
uncivilized  races,  which  proposal  President  Roosevelt  has 
set  squarely  before  the  world  by  cabling  it  to  the  Brussels 
Conference  of  1906,  and  has  asked  the  British  Government 
to  unite  with  the  United  States  in  initiating;  therefore, 

Resolved,  That  we  earnestly  petition  all  civilized  govern- 
ments to  make  favorable  response  to  this  great  proposal, 
and  to  act  to  that  end,  so  far  as  possible,  each  among  its  own 
subjects,  without  waiting  for  other  governments;  and. 

Resolved,  That  one  copy  of  this  action,  certified  by 
signature  of  President  and  Secretary,  be  sent  to  the  Inter- 
national Reform  Bureau,  that  it  may  be  added  to  the  great 
petition  "To  all  Civilized  Governments"  for  such  laws  and 
treaties. 

Adopted  by  resolution  of  Convention  on  May  23,  1907, 
and  undersigned  authorized  to  so  attest. 

2.  That  this  Convention  invites  Sunday-school  workers 
in  all  lands  to  unite  in  the  observance  of  the  third  Sunday  in 
October  of  each  year  as  the  World's  Sunday  School  Day,  by 
engaging  in  private  and  public  prayer  as  occasion  may  offer, 
on  behalf  of  Sunday-schools  throughout  the  world. 

It  is  suggested  that  ministers  be  requested  to  preach 
special  sermons,  placing  fresh  emphasis  upon  the  Sunday- 

372 


Resolutions 

school  as  the  most  promising  means  of  evangehzation  and 
character  building. 

Universal  compliance  with  this  suggestion  will  make  this 
a  great  day  in  the  history  of  the  Sunday-school. 

3.  That  this  Convention,  representing  more  than  thirty 
millions  of  Bible  students,  studying  the  Word  of  God  in 
many  languages  and  many  lands,  meeting  in  Rome,  the 
Imperial  City — a  city  made  sacred  by  the  life  and  death  of 
saints  and  martyrs,  a  city  in  which  portions  of  the  New 
Testament  were  written,  and  to  which  an  Epistle  was  sent — 
reaffirms  its  faith  in  the  Bible  as  the  inspired  Word  of  God, 
and  exhorts  all  who  teach  in  the  Sunday-school  hopefully 
and  faithfully  to  present  the  gospel  to  their  scholars  as  the 
power  of  God  unto  salvation  to  every  one  that  believeth, 
while  it  appeals  to  men  everywhere  to  accept  this  sacred 
Word,  study  its  truths  and  obey  its  commands. 

4.  That  this  Convention  hears  with  great  satisfaction  of 
the  approaching  conference  in  London,  during  the  month  of 
June,  between  the  British  and  American  sections  of  the 
International  Lessons  Committee,  in  order  to  promote  their 
harmonious  co-operation  in  the  great  work  with  which  they 
are  charged.  This  Convention  believes  this  new  movement 
to  be  full  of  great  possibiHties  and  promise  for  the  good  of  the 
International  work,  and  it  prays  that  God's  help  and  guid- 
ance may  be  manifest  in  all  their  proceeding. 

5.  That  this  Convention  warmly  congratulates  the 
Founder  and  Committee  of  the  International  Bible  Reading 
Association  upon  the  completion  of  its  twenty-fifth  year, 
and  its  present  membership  of  nearly  1,000,000,  and  would 
cordially  recommend  this  Association  to  the  w^arm  support 
of  all  Sunday-school  workers,  as  a  most  valuable  means  of 
study  of  the  Word  of  God,  and  at  the  same  time  preparing 
its  members  for  the  class  study  of  the  International  Lessons. 

6.  That  this  Convention  desires  to  record  its  firm  and 
deep  conviction  that  the  due  observance  of  the  Lord's  Day, 
as  a  day  for  rest  and  worship,  is  essential  to  the  highest 

373 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

development  of  individual,  social  and  national  life,  and  this 
Convention,  therefore,  desires  to  urge  upon  the  whole 
Sunday-school  world,  the  necessity  of  using  every  oppor- 
tunity to  impress  the  great  truth  upon  the  hearts  and  minds 
of  children,  by  example  as  well  as  by  precept,  so  that  this 
inestimable  privilege  may  become  an  actual  possession 
throughout  Christendom. 

7.  That  this  Convention  expresses  its  profound  regret  at 
the  fact  that  the  Kingdom  of  Greece  is  the  only  country  in 
the  world,  civilized  or  uncivilized,  in  which  the  circulation  of 
the  Word  of  God  is  ofi&cially  prohibited  in  the  language  of 
the  people,  the  language  of  the  schools,  the  press,  and  the 
platform.  And  the  Convention  earnestly  desires  to  put  its 
fervent  hope  upon  record,  that  the  Hellenic  Government 
will  hasten,  by  revoking  its  decree  of  November,  1902,  to  put 
an  end  to  a  measure  which  cannot  be  regarded  as  other  than 
a  reproach  to  a  Christian  nation. 

8.  That  this  Convention,  assembled  in  Rome,  very  grate- 
fully recognizes  the  important  services  that  are  now  being 
rendered  by  the  Home  Department,  the  Cradle  Roll,  and  the 
Adult  Bible  Schools,  and  most  warmly  commends  all  these 
branches  of  effort  to  Sunday-school  workers  throughout  the 
world. 

9.  That  this  Convention,  representing  twenty-seven 
different  nationalities,  and  many  rehgious  denominations, 
having  experienced  in  its  deliberations  the  immense  blessings 
of  fraternal  union  and  co-operation,  would  express  its  earn- 
est hope  and  prayer  that  at  the  approaching  International 
Peace  Convention  at  The  Hague,  similar  results  may  be 
attained  and  the  cause  of  peace  and  good  will  among  the 
nations  may  be  effectually  promoted. 

10.  That  this  Convention  has  heard  with  horror  of  the 
cruel  atrocities  perpetrated  upon  the  helpless  natives  of  the 
Congo  Free  State,  and  prays  that  Belgium  may  take  the 
country  as  a  colony,  and  that  the  efforts  now  being  made, 
under  the  leadership  of  excellent  men,  in  the  Belgian  Con- 

374 


Resolutions 

gress,  to  secure  that  end  and  inaugurate  a  proper  colonial 
administration,  may  soon  be  successful.  We  also  appeal 
to  the  responsible  governments  in  Europe  and  America  to 
use  their  influence  in  every  possible  way,  either  with  co-opera- 
tion with  Belgium  or  by  independent  action,  to  accomplish 
the  desired  end. 

11.  That  the  best  thanks  of  this  Convention  be  respect- 
fully tendered  to  His  Excellency,  the  American  Ambassador, 
for  his  kindness  in  receiving  the  delegates  and  their  friends. 

12.  That  this  Convention  desires  to  thank  very  warmly 
the  many  friends  in  Rome  who,  by  the  loan  of  buildings, 
their  careful  provision  for  all  the  arrangements,  and  devoted 
industry  in  carrying  them  out,  have  contributed  so  much  to 
the  success  of  its  present  assembly.  In  this  vote  they  desire 
with  special  emphasis  to  refer  to  the  Italian  Committee  and 
its  indefatigable  Secretary,  Senor  Filippini. 

13.  That  this  Convention  desires  to  express  its  warm 
gratitude  to  the  Department  of  Itahan  Railways,  and  that 
of  the  Public  Galleries  and  Museums,  for  the  valuable  con- 
cession in  the  matter  of  rates  of  free  admission  so  kindly 
made  to  its  members. 

14.  That  this  Convention  desires  to  record  its  deep  obli- 
gation to  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Blackall,  for  the  large,  interesting, 
and  instructive  collection  of  specimens  of  Sunday-school 
literature  and  materials  exhibited  in  Rome  during  the 
Convention.  Appreciating  the  immense  labor  its  prepara- 
tion must  have  occasioned,  they  desire  to  most  earnestly 
thank  these  devoted  friends  of  the  Sunday-school  for  this 
fresh  proof  of  their  devotion.  The  Convention  earnestly 
hopes  that  many  schools  may  derive  permanent  advantage 
from  this  display. 

F.  F.  Belsey,  Great  Britain,  Chairman ;  Rev  Prof.  Ira 
M.  Price,  U.  S.  A.;  Charles  Waters,  Great  Britain; 
James  W\  Kinnear,  U.  S.  A.;  Principal  E.  I.  Rex- 
ford,  Canada;  Rev.  Dr.  J.  Gordon  Gray,  Italy; 
Bishop  J.  C.  Hartzell,  Africa. 
375 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

The  International  Lesson  Committee  Meeting 
in  London 

By  the  Rev.  Frank  Johnson 

At  the  important  Conference  of  biblical  scholars  and 
Sunday-school  experts  held  under  the  aegis  of  the  Sunday 
School  Union,  in  London,  last  November,  one  of  the  resolu- 
tions unanimously  adopted  was  the  following:  "This 
Conference  urges  upon  the  Council  of  the  Sunday  School 
Union  that  the  time  has  now  come  to  consider  the  necessity 
of  remodelling  the  International  Lesson  system,  to  bring  it 
more  into  line  with  the  needs  of  the  modern  Sunday-school; 
and  asks  that  the  Council  shall  take  such  steps  as  may  be 
necessary  to  ensure  the  discussion  of  this  matter  by  the 
International  Lesson  Committee." 

Immediate  steps  were  taken  to  give  effect  to  this  resolution, 
and  communications  were  opened  with  the  American  section 
of  the  Committee.  At  first  it  seemed  possible  to  utilize  the 
Rome  Convention  for  a  meeting  of  the  British  and  American 
sections,  but  it  was  found  that  few  of  the  British  members 
would  be  able  to  get  to  Rome.  With  the  courtesy,  con- 
sideration, and  indifference  to  personal  inconvenience  which 
have  marked  the  American  brethren  throughout,  the  sug- 
gestion was  made  to  hold  the  Conference  in  London  at  the 
close  of  the  Rome  Convention.  This  plan  was  adopted,  the 
idea  being  that  a  session  of  one  day  would  suffice.  When, 
however,  both  committees  came  to  go  into  the  matters  to  be 
discussed,  it  was  resolved  to  set  no  time  limit  to  the 
discussions. 

As  is  generally  known,  the  American  Committee  is  elected 
by  the  International  Convention,  and  the  then  Chairman 
and  Secretary  of  the  Convention  Executive  Committee 
(Dr.  G.  W.  Bailey  and  Mr.  W.  N.  Hartshorn)  strongly  urged 
that  the  entire  lesson  system  be  thoroughly  surveyed  in  the 
light  of  first  principles,  of  modern  needs,  and  of  the  expe- 
rience of  the  past  thirty-five  years.     It  was  pointed  out  that 

376 


Lesson  Committee  Meeting 

no  such  Conference  had  ever  before  been  held,  and  that  the 
occasion  was  hkely  to  be  momentous  in  its  resuUs;  and, 
further,  that  the  bringing  of  members  of  the  American 
Committee  at  a  cost  of  £750  from  the  United  States  and 
Canada  to  meet  the  British  brethren  was  an  effort  and 
expense  that  required  the  Conference  to  deal  with  the  ques- 
tions raised  in  the  fullest  and  most  exhaustive  way. 

Arrangements  were  accordingly  made  on  this  basis.  The 
British  section  had  several  meetings  to  frame  the  ajendum 
which  was  submitted  to  the  American  delegates;  the  Council 
Chamber  of  the  Baptist  Church  House — an  admirable  room 
for  the  purpose — was  obtained;  and  provision  was  made  for 
continuing  the  Conference  for  three  full  days;  and  on 
Tuesday  evening,  June  18,  a  small  sub-committee  met  for 
the  purpose  of  determining  the  by-laws  of  the  Conference, 
the  chairmen,  the  order  of  proceedings,  etc. 

On  Wednesday  morning,  June  19,  the  Conference  as- 
sembled in  the  pleasant  summer  sunshine  which  proved  to 
be  a  symbol  and  prophecy  of  the  entire  proceedings.  Many 
of  the  members  had  met  at  one  or  other  of  the  Sunday-school 
Conventions — at  Jerusalem,  Rome,  Toronto,  Denver, 
St.  Louis,  Pittsburg,  and  elsewhere — and  there  were  hearty 
greetings,  wath  playful  allusions  to  the  snows  of  winter  and 
the  broadening  that  time  brings  to  body  as  well  as  mind. 
A  sadder  note  was  struck  by  the  references  to  gaps  made  by 
death,  and  to  the  absence  of  Dr.  John  Potts,  the  Chairman 
of  the  American  Committee,  and  to  Dr.  J.  R.  Sampey. 
Dr.  Potts  was  unable  to  attend  owing  to  personal  illness  of 
a  grave  character,  and  Dr.  Sampey  was  detained  at  Wies- 
baden, en  route  for  London,  by  the  sudden  and  dangerous 
illness  of  his  wife.  One  of  the  first  duties  of  the  Conference 
was  to  send  messages  of  sympathy  to  these  brethren. 

When  the  roll-call  of  the  first  meeting  was  gone  through, 
the  following  members  responded:  For  America:  Dr.  A.  F. 
Schauffler  (Secretary),  of  New  York;  Dr.  B.  B.  Tyler,  of 
Denver;  Dr.  J.  S.  Stahr,  of  Lancaster,  Pa.;  Mr.  John  R. 

377 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 


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378 


Lesson  Committee  Meeting 

Pepper,  of  Memphis;  Dr.  Mosheim  Rhodes,  of  St.  Louis; 
Dr.  E.  I.  Rexford,  of  Montreal;  Professor  Ira  M.  Price,  of 
Chicago  University.  For  Great  Britain:  Dr.  A.  Rowland 
(Chairman),  Mr.  W.  H.  Groser,  B.  Sc.  (Secretary),  Mr. 
F.  F.  Belsey,  Mr.  Charles  Waters,  Mr.  Edward  Towers, 
Dr.  W.  F.  Adeney,  Dr.  A.  S.  Peake,  Dr.  A.  E.  Garvie, 
Rev.  C.  H.  Kelly,  Rev.  R.  Culley,  Professor  S.  W.  Green, 
M.A.,  and  the  Rev.  Frank  Johnson.  Only  two  members  of 
the  British  section  were  absent — Mr.  Frederick  Taylor,  who 
was  on  the  Continent,  and  the  Rev.  S.  S.  Henshaw^,  w^ho  was 
detained  by  necessary  engagements  in  connection  with  the 
sessions  of  the  Primitive  Methodist  Conference.  It  is 
a  notable  fact  that  half  of  the  American  Committee  were 
actually  present,  and  that  only  illness  prevented  a  majority 
of  that  committee  from  attending.  The  following  were 
elected  corresponding  and  occasional  members  of  the 
Conference,  but  without  voting  powers:  For  America: 
Dr.  G.  W.  Bailey,  Mr.  W.  N.  Hartshorn,  Mr.  E.  K.  Warren, 
Mr.  A.  B.  McCrillis,  Mr.  F.  A.  Wells,  and  Mr  Marion 
Lawrance.  For  Great  Britain:  Mr.  T.  G.  Ackland,  Mr.  J.  S. 
Crowther,  Mr.  F.  Clements,  and  the  Rev.  Carey  Bonner. 

The  first  business  was  to  elect  a  chairman,  and  it  was 
resolved  to  appoint  Dr.  A.  Rowland  and  Dr.  E.  I.  Rexford 
to  preside  on  alternate  days.  On  taking  the  chair.  Dr. 
Rowland  gave  a  hearty  welcome  to  the  American  delegates, 
and  expressed  a  desire  of  the  British  section  for  a  continuance 
of  the  International  co-operation.  He  referred  to  the 
criticisms  passed  upon  the  International  Lessons,  and  to  the 
agitation  for  reform,  concluding  with  a  hint  that  it  might  be 
desirable  for  the  British  section  to  take  turn  about  with 
America  in  constructing  the  cycles  of  the  lessons.  Then 
followed  a  statement  by  Dr.  A.  F.  Schauffler,  who  pointed 
out  that  for  twelve  years  the  dominant  thought  in  con- 
structing the  course  had  been  biographical.  This  explained 
some  omissions  and  some  insertions.  He  then  sketched 
what  the  American  Committee  had  done  in  the  way  of 

379 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

preparing  optional  courses  for  the  Beginners  and  the  Seniors, 
and  intimated  that  a  sub-committee  was  engaged  upon 
a  draft  of  optional  lessons  for  the  Primary  Division  (ages  6-9) 

These  prefaces  cleared  the  way  for  the  consideration  of 
the  question:  ''Can  an  International  system  of  Lessons  be 
provided  for  the  Primary,  the  Intermediate,  and  the  Senior 
Divisions  of  the  Sunday-school?"  In  the  course  of  the 
discussion,  which  occupied  nearly  the  whole  of  the  morning, 
the  following  definitions  were  agreed  to:  Primary  includes 
the  divisions  known  in  America  as  Beginners  (ages  3-6)  and 
the  Primary  (ages  6-9);  Intermediate  includes  the  division 
known  as  Junior  (ages  9-12)  and  Intermediate  (ages  12-15); 
Senior  includes  all  whose  ages  exceed  15.  The  main  issue 
was  whether  the  International  Lesson  Committee  was  to 
abandon  the  Primary  and  Senior  Divisions  to  individual 
and  denominational  enterprise,  and  to  limit  itself  to  the 
Intermediate  Division,  or  whether  it  would  undertake  to 
meet  the  needs  of  the  whole  modern  Sunday-school  and  give 
a  genuine  lead  to  the  Bible-studies  of  the  world's  children. 

No  resolution  acceptable  to  the  Conference  had  been 
drafted  at  the  time  of  adjournment  for  luncheon;  but  on 
reassembling  at  2:30,  Principal  E.  I.  Rexford  submitted  one 
which  made  the  provision  of  courses  for  the  entire  range  of 
the  Sunday-school  the  ideal,  while  leaving  freedom  to  both 
sections  to  experiment  with  specialized  courses  for  Primary 
and  Advanced  work.     This  was  unanimously  approved. 

The  next  proposal  brought  the  Conference  face  to  face 
with  the  results  of  biblical  criticism.  The  proposal  was, 
in  effect,  that  the  first  draft  of  each  cycle  of  lessons  should  be 
prepared  by  biblical  scholars.  Obviously,  the  aim  of  the 
proposal  was  not  to  introduce  controversial  topics  into  the 
school,  but  to  ensure  that  the  lessons  should  be  selected  with 
regard  to  the  composite  character  of  some  of  the  Books  of  the 
Bible,  to  the  chronology  of  others,  and  generally  to  the  his-* 
torical  progress  of  Divine  Revelation.  This  was  the  danger- 
point  of  the  Conference,  and  it  v/as  the  only  place  where 

380 


Lesson  Committee  Meeting 

there  were  signs  of  a  storm.  The  whole  matter,  however, 
was  frankly  discussed;  and  when  Dr.  Adeney  and  Dr.  Garvie 
had  made  clear  their  position  it  was  seen  that  all  meant  the 
same  thing,  though  one  section  preferred  to  see  the  scientific 
supersede  the  haphazard  method  of  teaching  the  Bible. 
The  settlement  of  this  vital  principle  by  the  unanimous 
passing  of  Resolutions  2  and  3  brought  the  second  session 
to  a  close. 

In  the  evening  the  members  of  the  Lesson  Committee 
were  entertained  at  the  National  Liberal  Club,  at  a  private 
dinner  given  by  Mr.  F.  W.  Warmington,  Chairman  of  the 
Business  Committee  of  the  Sunday  School  Union.  The 
object  of  the  function  was  to  honor  the  work  of  the  Committee 
and  to  recognize  the  fact  that  there  is  a  necessary  and  impor- 
tant publishing  and  business  side  to  the  International  Lesson 
system.  The  Committee  itself  has  nothing  to  do  with  this, 
neither  publishing  anything  beyond  the  Lesson  List,  nor 
being  controlled  h-^  publishers.  Its  single  duty  is  to  provide 
the  best  possible  scheme  of  lessons.  When  these  are  evolved, 
publishers,  whether  general  or  denominational,  are  at 
liberty  to  send  them  forth  with  such  related  helps  as  they 
think  likely  to  be  most  serviceable  and  popular.  These 
publishers  have,  therefore,  an  interest  in  the  Lesson  system, 
but  it  is  only  such  an  interest  as  the  Lesson  courses  in  them- 
selves can  give.  If  these  meet  the  needs  of  the  schools,  then 
the  helps,  etc.,  related  to  them  thrive.  If  they  do  not,  then 
schools  and  pubHshers  alike  suffer.  The  Lesson  Committee, 
it  cannot  be  too  often  announced,  is  wholly  a  voluntary 
association  of  biblical  scholars  and  Sunday-school  experts 
giving  their  services  freely,  appointed  by  the  representatives 
of  the  schools,  and  ultimately  responsible  to  them — in 
America  through  the  International  Convention;  in  Great 
Britain  through  the  Sunday  School  Union  Council. 

On  Thursday  morning  Principal  E.  I.  Rexford,  of  Canada, 
opened  the  third  session  by  reading  a  portion  of  Scripture, 
and  calling  upon  Dr.  Tvler  and  Dr.  Peake  to  offer  prayer. 

381 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

Before  the  formal  business  was  taken  up  Dr.  Tyler  stated 
that  he  was  compelled  to  leave  that  morning  for  America, 
but  he  desired  to  express  his  delight  at  having  taken  part  in 
meetings  that  must  exert  a  powerful  influence  on  the  future 
of  all  Sunday-school  work.  The  topics  included  in  Resolu- 
tions 3,  4,  5,  and  6  occupied  the  attention  of  the  Conference 
during  the  third  and  fourth  sessions,  emphasis  being  placed 
upon  consecutive  study  and  the  necessity  for  making  the 
historical  background  of  the  lessons  as  vivid  as  possible.  It 
was  shown  that  a  succession  of  lessons  selected  from  the 
Psalms,  Proverbs,  and  the  didactic  parts  of  Scripture  would 
not,  and  could  not,  be  used  by  the  average  teacher;  and  that 
if  these  were  to  be  used  at  all  they  must  be  brought  in  as 
illustrative  material  in  the  course  of  lessons  of  more  human 
interest,  and  with  the  incident  and  movement  connected 
with  biography  and  history. 

The  Review  was  admitted  by  most  speakers  to  be  largely 
ignored,  though  all  claimed  it  to  be  of  first  importance. 
Gradually  it  emerged  that  the  root  of  the  difficulty  was  the 
absence  of  a  definite  subject  and  Scripture  portion,  and  the 
arbitrary  fixing  of  it  on  the  last  Sunday  in  each  quarter.  It 
was,  therefore,  decided  to  bring  in  the  Review  at  the  point 
where  the  subject-matter  required  it,  and  to  assign  the 
Review  a  title  and  an  illustrative  portion  of  Scripture.  Dr. 
Schauffler,  while  anxious  that  the  experiment  should  be  tried, 
since  it  was  educationally  sound,  pointed  out  the  great 
difficulty  of  the  proposal.  Still,  the  difficulty  is  one  the 
teacher  has  always  had  to  face,  and  the  Conference  felt  it 
was  bound  to  render  him  all  the  help  of  which  they  were 
capable. 

At  night  many  of  the  members  attended  a  reception  given 
by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  F.  F.  Belsey  at  their  home  in  Russell 
Square.  A  delightful  social  evening  was  spent  together  in 
hospitable  and  genial  environment,  with  pleasant  converse 
and  music. 

When  the  Conference  assembled  on  Friday  morning  there 
382 


Lesson  Committee  Meeting 

were  gaps  here  and  there,  but  the  members  held  together  to 
the  close  with  remarkable  tenacity,  and  at  the  cost  of  per- 
sonal sacrifice  on  the  part  of  many.  Dr.  Rowland  presided. 
The  subject  for  consideration  was  the  Course  for  the  Senior 
Classes.  The  American  delegates  pointed  out  that  the 
tendency  with  them  was  to  issue  Courses  of  Lessons  running 
parallel  with  those  in  the  Intermediate  section,  the  subjects, 
however,  being  dealt  with  on  a  higher  plane  of  difficulty. 
There  is  much  to  be  said  in  favor  of  the  plan,  but  the  balance 
of  debate  inclined  in  the  direction  of  specialized  courses  of 
the  type  mentioned  in  Resolution  7.  It  was  felt  that  the 
adolescent  and  after  years  demanded  lessons  of  a  topical 
character  designed  to  meet  the  peculiar  needs  and  tempta- 
tions of  the  most  difficult  and  critical  period  in  human  life. 
A  powerful  speech  was  delivered  by  Dr.  A.  S.  Peake,  urging 
this  course,  and  on  the  motion  of  the  Reverend  Frank 
Johnson  the  British  section  of  the  Committee  were  instructed 
to  outline  a  scheme  of  lessons  embodying  their  ideas  on  the 
subject. 

Next  came  a  keen  discussion  on  a  project  for  making  the 
Golden  Texts  really  '^ golden"  in  character.  To  abandon 
the  Golden  Text  as  at  present  used  for  focusing  and  en- 
forcing the  main  teaching  of  the  lesson  was  felt  to  be 
impossible;  and  a  compromise  was  reached  whereby  a  Hst 
of  the  choicest  passages  of  Scripture  is  to  be  compiled,  and 
the  Golden  Texts,  when  it  is  possible,  are  to  be  selected  from 
these. 

On  the  proposal  of  Dr.  A.  F.  Schauffler,  it  was  resolved  to 
ask  the  British  Committee  to  prepare  a  cycle  of  lessons  from 
191 2-17,  it  being  understood  that,  as  a  new  American 
Committee  will  be  elected  at  Louisville  in  1908,  such  a 
scheme  could  only  be  tentative  and  suggestive  until  revised 
and  approved  by  the  new  committee.  It  was  further 
suggested  that  the  lessons  for  191 2  might  be  worked  out  in 
detail,  the  subjects  for  the  years  from  1913-17  being  given 
only  in  broad  outUne.   -As  the  course  for  1910  has  been 

3^3 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

approved,  the  American  Committee  was  requested  to  pre- 
pare the  course  for  191 1  in  detail. 

At  this  stage  the  representations  of  the  Conference  called 
by  the  Primitive  Methodist  denomination  were  presented 
by  Dr.  Peake,  asking  that  the  remodelled  Lessons  should 
start  from  the  year  191 1.  Dr.  SchaufSer  conclusively 
showed  the  impossibility  on  the  American  side  of  adopting 
the  proposal,  and  after  discussion  it  was  felt  undesirable  to 
break  up  the  International  co-operation  on  a  point  of 
practical  difficulty  that  twelve  months  would  abolish. 
Incidentally,  a  glimpse  was  given  of  the  need  for  working 
many  years  ahead  upon  a  scheme  of  lessons  used  all  over 
the  world,  and  that  are  translated,  for  example,  in  India 
alone  into  forty  dialects. 

The  session  closed  with  a  recognition  of  the  claims  of  the 
Primary  work  by  a  resolution  asking  the  British  section  to 
prepare,  with  the  aid  of  Primary  Department  experts, 
a  three  years  Beginners'  Course.  The  present  two  years 
Beginners'  Course  is  not  altogether  satisfactory,  and  it  is 
hoped  by  the  joint  labors  of  the  American  and  British 
Primary  workers  to  hammer  out  a  course  approximating 
more  nearly  to  the  ideal,  and  covering  the  period  from  three- 
to  six  years  of  age. 

The  closing  session  was  devoted  to  a  discussion  of  the 
best  way  of  giving  effect  in  the  Lessons  to  the  missionary 
enthusiasm  kindled  at  the  Rome  Convention.  To  fix 
a  special  Missionary  Sunday  was  felt  to  be  inexpedient,  since 
foreign  missions  require  emphasis  oftener  than  once  a  year; 
while  to  increase  the  number  of  Sundays  devoted  to  special 
objects  would  eventually  drive  out  all  serious  Bible  study 
from  the  schools.  With  Temperance  Sunday,  Missions 
Sunday,  Bible  Sunday,  Citizen  Sunday,  and  the  rest,  few 
Sundays  would  be  left  for  the  supreme  work  to  which  the 
school  is  called.  Finally,  it  was  decided  to  ask  lesson 
writers  and  editors  to  bring  out  in  the  Helps  more  clearly 
the  missionary  aspects  of  the  various  lessons. 

384 


Lesson  Committee  Meeting 

In  this  connection  Dr.  G.  W.  Bailey  urged  the  claims 
of  the  Continent  and  of  the  great  mission  fields  to  be  repre- 
sented on  the  committee.  For  delegates  gathered  from 
every  part  of  the  world  to  confer  periodically  is  a  practical 
impossibility,  but  it  is  likely  that  the  committee  will  be 
enlarged  by  the  election  of  corresponding  members,  who 
would  represent  the  needs  of  their  respective  countries  and 
give  the  committee  the  advantage  of  their  counsel. 

While  this  matter  of  conferences  between  the  sections  of 
the  committee  was  under  debate,  Mr.  W.  N.  Hartshorn, 
with  characteristic  generosity,  undertook  to  see  that  in  1908 
three  of  the  American  members  should  confer  with  the 
British  Committee,  and  that  three  of  the  British  members 
should  confer  w^ith  the  American  Committee  at  no  cost  to 
the  delegates.  Among  other  subjects  that  were  discussed, 
but  left  as  they  stand,  was  the  fixing  of  four  Temperance 
lessons  annually,  this  arrangement  being  freely  criticised 
by  some  members  of  the  British  section;  and  the  relation  of 
the  International  Bible  Reading  Association  daily  readings 
to  a  world-wide  scheme  of  lessons. 

After  an  affecting  incident,  in  which  Mr.  J.  R.  Pepper  led 
the  Conference  in  special  prayer  on  behalf  of  Mr.  F.  A.  Wells' 
son,  who  was  immediately  to  undergo  a  serious  operation, 
the  sessions  came  to  a  close  in  a  series  of  resolutions.  These 
expressed  thanks  to  the  Chairmen  (Dr.  E.  I.  Rexford  and 
Dr.  A.  Rowland)  and  the  joint-secretaries  (Dr.  A.  F. 
Schauffler  and  Mr.  W.  H.  Groser,  B.Sc.)  for  the  hospitaHty 
extended  and  for  the  wonderful  harmony  and  unity  that  had 
prevailed.  Dr.  Rowland  in  a  happy  speech  reviewed  the 
great  results  achieved,  and  then  commended  the  entire  work 
and  the  members  of  the  Conference  to  the  care  and  guidance 
of  the  Almighty  Father. 

A  pleasant  social  function  at  Old  Bailey  brought  to  an 
end  three  of  the  most  fruitful  days  of  conference  and  endeavor 
ever  known  in  the  era  of  International  Lesson  co-operation. 

•  385 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 
A   Morning  Worship 

Arranged  by  Henry  C.  McCook,  D.D.,  Sc.  D.,  LL.D.,  of  Pennsylvania,  U.  S.  A.,  for 
the  use  of  Delegates  to  the  World's  Fifth  Sunday  School  Convention  as  they 
journey  toward  Rome. 

I. 

Leader. — Hearken  unto  the  voice  of  my  cry,  my  King  and 
my  Lord,  for  unto  Thee  will  I  pray.     (Psa.  5.) 

Congregation  {rising). — My  voice  shalt  thou  hear  in  the 
morning,  O  Lord,  in  the  morning  will  I  direct  my  prayer 
unto  thee,  and  will  look  up. 

In  Concert. — The  Apostles'  Creed. 

IL 

Prayer  by  the  Leader,  or  in  concert,  as  follows: 
O  Thou,  who  turnest  the  shadow  of  death  into  morning, 
we  thank  thee  for  this  new  day,  with  all  the  blessings  of  grace 
and  of  providence  renewed  to  us  therewith.  As  thou  doth 
chase  away  the  night  with  thy  sun,  so  take  from  us  all  shadow 
of  sin,  that  we  may  live  this  day  in  the  shining  of  his  coun- 
tenance who  is  the  true  Light  of  the  world,  our  Saviour  Jesus. 
Let  not  the  light  that  is  within  us  be  darkness,  but  so  may  it 
shine  before  men  that  they,  seeing  our  good  works,  may 
glorify  the  Father  who  is  in  Heaven.  Abide  with  us,  O  Spirit 
of  truth  and  holiness,  that  thy  graces,  nourished  within  us, 
may  flow  forth  upon  our  fellows.  Let  not  our  righteousness 
be  as  the  morning  cloud  that  vanishes,  but,  united  to  and 
issuing  from  thee,  the  Eternal  Source  thereof,  may  it  shine 
more  and  more  unto  the  perfect  day.     (The  Lord's  Prayer.) 

HL 

Leader  (rising). — I  will  sing  of  thy  pow^er,  yea,  I  will  sing 
aloud  of  thy  mercy  in  the  morning;  for  thou  hast  been  my 
defense  and  refuge  in  the  day  of  my  trouble. 

Congregation.— Unto  thee,  O  my  strength,  will  I  sing;  for 
God  is  my  defense,  and  the  God  of  my  mercy. 

386 


A  Morning  Worship 

A  Hymn  at  Dayspring. 

O  Light  of  lights,  unquenchable, 

To  Thee  I  turn  my  waking  eyes; 
The  opening  day  shall  haste  to  tell 

My  grateful  homage  to  the  skies. 

The  daystar  in  the  East  I  see 

Beam  out  the  signal:  night  is  done! 
Thou  art  the  Morning  Star  to  me, 

O  Jesu,  Thou  the  Rising  Sun! 

Thou  compassedst  my  lying  down; 

Thy  guardian  angels  thro'  the  night 
With  loving  vigils  girt  me  round. 

Nor  woke  me  till  the  morning  light. 

The  waste  of  daily  work  and  care. 

The  drain  and  stress  of  mortal  strife, 
With  restful  sleep  Thou  didst  repair, 

Rebuilding  broken  walls  of  life. 

Thougivest  home,  and  friends,  and  food, 

And  love — of  all  my  gifts  the  best; 
And  heart  to  seek  the  Boundless  Good, 

And  hand  to  bless,  as  I  am  blest. 

Oh,  let  me  rest  this  day  in  Thee, 

Thou  Keeper  of  both  day  and  night, 
Nor  waste  the  strength  Thou  sendest  me, 

By  doubts  of  Thy  dear  oversight! 

H.  C.  McC. 

THE   GLORIA   PATRI 

IV. 

READING  OF  THE   GOSPEL,  MATT.   28:1-8. 

Leader. — In  the  end  of  the  sabbath,  as  it  began  to  dawn 
toward  the  first  day  of  the  week,  came  Mary  Magdalene  and 
the  other  Mary  to  see  the  sepulchre. 

Congregation. — And,  behold,  there  was  a  great  earth- 
quake: for  the  angel  of  the  Lord  descended  from  heaven, 
and  came  and  rolled  back  the  stone  from  the  door,  and  sat 
upon  it. 

L. — His  countenance  was  like  lightning,  and  his  raiment 
white  as  snow: 

387 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

C. — And  for  fear  of  him  the  keepers  did  shake,  and  became 
as  dead  men. 

L. — And  the  angel  answered  and  said  unto  the  women, 
''Fear  not  ye:  for  I  know  that  ye  seek  Jesus,  which  was 
crucified. 

C. — He  is  not  here:  for  he  is  risen,  as  he  said.  Come,  see 
the  place  where  the  Lord  lay. 

L. — And  go  quickly,  and  tell  his  disciples  that  he  is  risen 
from  the  dead;  and,  behold,  he  goeth  before  you  into  Galilee; 
there  shall  ye  see  him;  lo,  I  have  told  you. 

C. — And  they  departed  quickly  from  the  sepulchre  with 
fear  and  great  joy;  and  did  run  to  bring  his  disciples  word. 

V. 

SILENT  MEDITATION  OR  PRAYER. 

O  Jesus,  who  in  the  early  morning  didst  come  forth  from 
the  sepulchre  in  Joseph's  Garden  to  be  forever  the  Life  of 
men,  breathe  upon  us  thy  power  in  peace.  Grant  us  by  thy 
grace  this  day  to  rise  out  of  the  death  of  sin,  even  as  we  rise 
from  our  beds  refreshed  to  begin  in  thee  a  new  day. 

O  Lord,  clothe  thy  Church,  the  whole  company  of  thy 
faithful  ones,  with  the  garments  of  thy  beauty,  and  fulfill 
unto  her  thy  good  word:  Then  shall  thy  light  break  forth 
as  the  morning,  and  thy  health  shall  spring  forth  speedily; 
and  thy  righteousness  shall  go  before  thee:  the  glory  of  the 
Lord  shall  be  thy  rearward.     (Isa,  58:8.) 

May  we  all  who  believe  in  thee,  O  Christ,  go  forth  quickly 
with  great  joy  as  went  thy  disciples  from  thine  empty  tomb, 
to  publish  unto  men  and  unto  the  children  of  men  the  tidings 
of  thy  great  salv^ation.     Amen. 

VI 

RESPONSIVE  READING,  GEN.   28:i6-22. 

Leader. — And  Jacob  awaked  out  of  his  sleep,  and  he  said, 
"Surely  the  Lord  is  in  this  place;  and  I  knew  it  not." 

388 


A  Morning  Worship 

Congregation. — And  he  was  afraid  and  said,  How  dread- 
ful is  this  place!  this  is  none  other  but  the  house  of  God, 
and  this  is  the^gate  of  heaven. 

L. — And  Jacob  rose  up  early  in  the  morning,  and  took  the 
stone  that  he  had  put  for  his  pillows,  and  set  it  up  for  a  pillar, 
and  poured  oil  upon  the  top  of  it. 

C. — And  he  called  the  name  of  that  place  Bethel;  but  the 
name  of  that  city  was  called  Liiz  at  the  first. 

L. — And  Jacob  vowed  a  vow,  saying,  If  God  be  with  me, 
and  will  keep  me  in  this  way  that  I  go,  and  will  give  me  bread 
to  eat,  and  raiment  to  put  on, 

C. — So  that  I  come  again  to  my  father's  house  in  peace; 
then  shall  the  Lord  be  my  God: 

L. — And  this  stone,  which  I  have  set  for  a  pillar,  shall  be 
God's  house:  and  of  all  that  thou  shalt  give  me  I  will  surely 
give  the  tenth  unto  thee. 

VII. 

Hymn — "Nearer  7ny  God  to  Thee." 

Nearer,  my  God,  to  Thee, 

Nearer  to  Thee,' 
E'en  tho'  it  be  a  cross 

That  raiseth  me; 
Still  all  my  song  shall  be 

Nearer,  my  God,  to  Thee. 
Nearer  to  Thee! 

Then  with  my  waking  tho'ts, 

Bright  with  Thy  praise 
Out  of  my  stony  griefs 

Bethel  I'll  raise; 
So  by  my  woes  to  be 

Nearer,  my  God,  to  Thee, 
Nearer  to  Thee! 

Or,  if,  on  joyful  wing 

Cleaving  the  sky, 
Sun,  moon  and  stars  forgot. 

Upward  I  fly, 
Still  all  my  song  shall  be, 

Nearer,  my  God,  to  Thee, 
Nearer  to  Thee! 

389 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

VIII. 

Congregation. — The  Lord  watch  between  me  and  thee 
when  we  are  absent  one  from  another. 

Leader. — The  Lord  bless  thee,  and  keep  thee:  The  Lord 
make  his  face  shine  upon  thee,  and  be  gracious  unto  thee: 
The  Lord  hft  up  his  countenance  upon  thee,  and  give  thee 
peace.  (Num.  6:24-26.)  The  Lord  recompense  thy 
work,  and  a  full  reward  be  given  thee  of  the  Lord  God  of 
Israel,  under  whose  wings  thou  art  come  to  trust.  (Ruth 
2: 12.) 

IX. 

Doxology  and  Benediction. 

Order  of  Service  for  the  International  Festival 

of  Praise 

Sunday  Evening,  May   19th,    1907 

Worship-Leader:  The  Rev.  Carey  Bonner 
General  Secretary  of  The  (British)  Sunday  School  Union,  London 

'^  Let  all  the  peoples  praise  Tliee.^'' 

I.  Opening  Hymn: 

''All  people  that  on  earth  do  dwxll;"  sung  to  the  tune 
"Old  Hundredth."     No.  97  in  "Manual  of  Worship." 

(To  be  sung  in  Italian,  German,  French,  and  English 
languages). 

II.  Prayer. 

III.  German  Hymn  and  Tune: 

"Nun  danket  alle  Gott."  No.  94  in  "Manual  of  Wor- 
ship." 

(Verses  i  and  2  will  be  sung  by  the  German  Delegates. 
Verse  3  by  all  the  Congregation). 

390 


Order  of  Service 

IV.  Italian  Hymn  and  Tune: 

{coro)  !  I.  Innalzate  il  vessil  della  Croce! 
Libertade  bandite  agli  schiavi! 
Di  salvezza  elevate  la  voce, 
Dell 'Italia  fra  il  duplice  mar! 

Proclamate  la  buona  novella 
Della  grazia  a  chi  grazia  dispera, 
Annunziate  alia  gente  rubella 
Che  il  Signor  e  venuto  a  salvar.       {his) 

{a  solo)  2.   Proclamate  il  potente  che  attera 
I  Dagoni  ne'  cuori  idolatri, 
Annunziate  Colui  che  disserra 
Agli  iniqui  le  porte  del  Ciel. 

Ei,  I'amico  dell'uom  peccatore, 
Ei  lo  chiama,  lo  solva,  lo  innova: 
E  il  suo  Tempo  si  forma  nel  core 
Di  colui  che  ha  creduto  al  Vangel.  (bis) 

(coro)     3.  Rimirate!     la  messe  biondeggia,  ' 
E'  matura  pel  Regno  dei  Cieli, 
Accrescete  di  Cristo  la  greggia 
Adducendo  nuove  alme  al  Signor. 

Vi  dia  Cristo  coraggio  e  sapienza, 
Vi  sia  guida  lo  Spirto  divino; 
Combattete  il  livor,  la  violenza, 
CoUa  prece  che  viene  dal  cor.  (bis) 

(To  be  sung  by  the  Italian  Delegates). 

V.  Responsive  Scripture  Reading. 

(Selected  from  the  Service  prepared  by  Dr.  Worden  for 
"World's  Sunday  School  Day.") 

Subject:  "The  Apostle  Paul  at  Rome." 
(a)  Paul's  Purpose  to  Visit  Rome. 

Leader. — Paul  purposed  in  the  spirit,  when  he  had  passed 
through  Macedonia  and  Achaia,  to  go  to  Jerusalem,  saying. 

People. — After  I  have  been  there,  I  must  also  see  Rome. 

Leader. — I  am  debtor  both  to  the  Greeks,  and  to  the 
Barbarians,  both  to  the  wise  and  to  the  unwise. 

3QI 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

People. — So,  as  much  as  in  me  is,  I  am  ready  to  preach 
the  gospel  to  you  that  are  at  Rome  also. 

Leader. — For  I  am  not  ashamed  of  the  gospel  of  Christ: 
for  it  is  the  power  of  God  unto  salvation  to  every  one  that 
beheveth:  to  the  Jew  first,  and  also  to  the  Greek. 

People. — For  to  me  to  live  is  Christ,  and  to  die  is  gain. 
{h)  Paul's  Experiences  in  Rome. 

Leader. — And  so  we  went  toward  Rome. 

People. — And  when  we  came  to  Rome,  the  centurion 
delivered  the  prisoners  to  the  captain  of  the  guard:  but 
Paul  was  suffered  to  dw^ell  by  himself  with  a  soldier  that 
kept  him. 

Leader:  And  Paul  dwelt  two  whole  years  in  his  own 
hired  house,  and  received  all  that  came  in  unto  him. 

People. — Preaching  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  teaching 
those  things  which  concern  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  with  all 
confidence,  no  man  forbidding  him. 
(The  Apostle  afterward  wrote  to  the  Philippians,  saying). 

Leader. — I  would  ye  should  understand,  brethren,  that 
the  things  which  happened  unto  me  have  fallen  out  rather 
unto  the  furtherance  of  the  gospel: 

So  that  my  bonds  in  Christ  are  manifest  in  all  the  palace, 
and  in  all  other  places. 

People. — And  many  of  the  brethren  in  the  Lord,  w^axing 
confident  by  my  bonds,  are  much  more  bold  to  speak  the 
word  without  fear. 
{c)  Paul's  Second  Imprisonment  and  Death  in  Rome. 

Leader. — I  charge  thee,  therefore,  before  God  and  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  shall  judge  the  quick  and  the  dead 
at  his  appearing  and  his  kingdom: 

Pastors  only. — Preach  the  word;  be  instant  in  season, 
out  of  season;  reprove,  rebuke,  exhort  with  all  longsuffering 
and  doctrine. 

People. — What  shall  we  then  say  to  these  things?  If 
God  be  for  us,  who  can  be  against  us  ? 

Leader. — He  that  spared  not  his  own  Son,  but  delivered 
392 


Order  of  Service 

him  up  for  us  all,  how  shall  he  not  with  him  also  freely  give 
us  all  things? 

Women  only. — Who  shall  separate  us  from  the  love  of 
Christ?  Shall  tribulation,  or  distress,  or  persecution,  or 
famine,  or  nakedness,  or  peril,  or  sword? 

Leader. — As  it  is  written:  For  thy  sake  we  are  killed  all 
the  day  long;  we  are  accounted  as  sheep  for  the  slaughter. 

Men  only. — Nay,  in  all  these  things  we  are  more  than 
conquerors  through  him  that  loved  us. 

Leader. — For  I  am  persuaded  that  neither  death,  nor  life, 
nor  angels,  nor  principalities,  nor  powers,  nor  things  present, 
nor  things  to  come: 

All  the  People. — Nor  height,  nor  depth,  nor  any  other 
creature,  shall  be  able  to  separate  us  from  the  love  of  God, 
which  is  in  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord. 

Hallelujah!    Hallelujah!    Hallelujah! 
VI.  French  Hymn: 

"Grand  Dieu,  nous  te  benissons." 

No.  98  "Manual  of  Worship, 

(Verses  i  and  2  will  be  sung  by  the  French  and  Swiss 
Delegates;  and  verse  4  by  all.) 
Vn.  American  Hymn  and  Tune: 

"My  faith  looks  up  to  Thee."  No  23  "Manual  of 
Worship." 

(To  be  sung  by  the  American  Delegates.) 

VHI.  British  Hymn  and  Tune: 

"All  hail  the  power  of  Jesu's  name." 

No.  88  "Manual  of  Worship." 

(To  be  sung  by  the  British  Delegates  including  those  from 
Canada  and  the  Colonies.) 

IX.  Brief  Address;  followed  by  Silent  Prayer  of 
Dedication,  and  the  Singing  of  the  Convention 
Hymn: 

"  Amen,  Hallelujah!  " 
393 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

(See   Words   and    Music   supplied   with   this    Order   of 
Service.) 

X.    DOXOLOGY   AND    BENEDICTION. 


World's   Sunday  School   Day  Service 
The  Apostle  Paul  in  Rome 

An  Order  of  Service  arranged  by  the  Rev.  James  A.  Worden,  D.D.,  of  Pennsylvania, 
U.  S.  A.,  at  the  request  of  the  Chairman  of  the  World's  Sunday  School  Executive 
Committee,  for  use  by  Sunday-schools  in  all  landsjon  World's  Sunday  School  Day, 
May  19,  1907,  and  on  that  day  by  the  World's  Convention  in  Rome. 

Ye  Christian  heralds,  go  proclaim 

Salvation  through  Emmanuers  name. 

To  distant  climes  the  tidings  bear, 
And  plant  the  Rose  of  Sharon  there. 

God  shield  you  with  a  wall  of  fire, 

With  flaming  zeal  your  breasts  inspire, 

Bid  raging  winds  their  fury  cease. 
And  hush  the  tempests  into  peace. 

And  when  our  labors  all  are  o'er, 

Then  we  shall  meet  to  part  no  more — 

Meet  with  the  blood-bought  throng  to  fall 
And  crown  our  Jesus  Lord  of  all. 

Leader. — Paul  purposed  in  the  spirit,  when  he  had  passed 
through  Macedonia  and  Achaia,  to  go  to  Jerusalem,  saying, 
After  I  have  been  there,  I  must  also  see  Rome. 

Leader. — T  am  debtor  both  to  the  Greeks,  and  to  the 
Barbarians,  both  to  the  wise  and  to  the  unwise. 

People. — So,  as  much  as  in  me  is,  I  am  ready  to  preach 
the  gospel  to  you  that  are  at  Rome  also. 

Leader. — For  I  am  not  ashamed  of  the  gospel  of  Christ: 
for  it  is  the  power  of  God  unto  salvation  to  every  one  that 
believeth:  to  the  Jew  first,  and  also  to  the  Greek. 

People. — For  to  me  to  live  is  Christ,  and  to  die  is  gain. 
394 


*'Hmen,  JHallelujab!" 

Revelation   19  :  4  (Revised  Version). 

World's  Convention  Hymn.    Dedicated  to  the  Committee  and  Delegates 

Written  expressly  for  the  Convention,  and  the  music  composed 

BY  CAREY  BONNER, 

Editor  of  "  The  Sunday  School  Hymnary,"  and  Worship- Leader  at  the  Convention. 


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cres.  For  Christ  they  lived;  in  Christ  they  died 

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/With  joy    we  serve   to  save    the  child, 

When  earth,  asheav'n, shall  do  Thy  will. 


I        I        •     •      I        I 

While  in  Thy  love  a  -  bid 
;  His  cross  their  on  -  ly  glo 
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For  ordinary  use  the  word  "  homes  "  may  be  substituted. 

Copyright,  IQOJ.  by  Carey  Bonner 
zvcrds  arid  music,  in  ttw  United  States  and  Great  Britain.) 


Amen,  Hallelujah! 


GERMAN 

1.  Aus  manchem  Land,  ein  treues  Heer 
Von  Mannern,  gottergeben, 

So  kamen  wir  nach  deinem  Wort, 
In  deiner  Lieb'  zu  leben. 
Und  Herz  und  Leben  dir  man  bringt, 
Und  aus  der  Seele  der  Sang  erklingt 
Mit  Amen,  Hallelujah! 

2.  Seinen  Willen  tun,  sein  Lob  erhoh'n 
War  unsrer  Vater  Trachten; 

Fiir  Jesum  leben,  ihm  zu  sterben, 
Sein  Kreuz  als  Hochstes  achten: 
Der  Vater  Gott !     Auch  wir  sind  dein; 
Aus  Glauben  leben  wir  allein 
Mit  Amen,  Hallelujah! 

3.  Fiir  alle  Welt  dein  Gnadenwort 
Und   dein   Gebot,   hochheilig! 
Wir  rufen  "Amen"  hin  zum  Thron 
Und  knieen  hier  getreulich; 

Aus  Liebe,  die  von  Gott  entstammt, 
Aus  Liebe,  die  im  Herzen  flammt, 
Stammt  unser  Hallelujah! 

4.  Von  Lieb'  getrieben,  folg  ich  dir, 
Den  Auftrag  treu  erfiill'  ich; 

Mit  Freuden  diene  ich  dem  Kind, 
Da  du  gemacht  mich  willig. 
Dein  Wille  Befehl,  dein  Wort  Geleit; 
So  singen  wir  zu  jeder  Zeit 
Nur:   Amen,  Hallelujah! 

5.  In  sel'ger  Hoffnung  schaffen  wir, 
Der  Glaube  sieht  aufs  Ende, 
Wenn  Erd'  und  Himmel  eins  erst  sind, 
Regieren  Jesu  Hande.  [Lob; 
Dann  singt  die  Menschheit  froh  dein 
Erlost,  erfreut  die  Welt  sich  drob 

Mit  Amen,  Hallelujah! 


ITALIAN 

1.  Da  varie  lande  e  popoli 
A  Te  veniam,  Signore, 

E  il  tuo  volere  a  compiere 
Siam  pronti  con  amore. 

La  nostra  vita  offrendoti, 
Vogliamo  tutti  unanimi 
Dirti:  Amen,  Alleluia! 

2.  Iddio  servir  lodandolo 

Dei  padri  fu  il  desire. 

Per  Gesu  solo  vivere. 

Per  Gesu  sol  morire. 

O  antico  Iddio  dei  secoli, 
Noi  pur  vogliamo  unanimi 
Dirti:  Amen,  Alleluia! 

3.  Al  tuo  Vangel  di  Grazia, 
Alle  tue  sante  leggi 
Diciamo  Amen!,  prostrandoci 
A  Te  che  il  mondo  reggi. 

Per  I'amor  tuo  ineffabile 
Noi  pur  possiamo  unanimi 
Cantarti  1' Alleluia! 

4.  Amor  ci  move  fervido 
Nell'opra  che  ci  desti: 
Addurre  a  Te  quel  pargoli 
Che  Tu  salvar  volesti. 

O  sommo  Iddio  concedine 
Che  possiam  tutti  unanimi 
Dirti,  Amen,  Alleluia! 

5.  Or  ecco,  di  vittoria 

Gia  spunta  il  dolce  albore 
Del  di  che  in  gloria  fulgida 
Dominera  il  Signore, 
E  dei  redenti  Q  popolo 
Potra  con  voce  unanime 
Dirti:  Amen,  Alleluia! 
Traduzione  Italiana  del  Rev.  Eduardo 
Taglialatela. 


World's  Sunday  School  Day  Service 

The  Son  of  God  goes  forth  to  war, 

A  kingly  crown  to  gain; 
His  blood-red  banner  streams  afar; 

Who  follows  in  his  train? 
Who  best  can  drink  his  cup  of  woe, 

Triumphant  over  pain. 
Who  patient  bears  his  cross  below, 

He  follows  in  his  train. 

A  glorious  band,  the  chosen  few 

On  whom  the  Spirit  came, 
Twelve  valiant  saints,  their  hope  they  knew 

And  mocked  the  cross  and  flame: 
They  met  the  tyrant's  brandished  steel, 

The  lion's  gory  mane. 
They  bowed  their  necks  the  death  to  feel: 

Who  follows  in  their  train? 

A  noble  army — men  and  boys 

The  matron  and  the  maid, 
Around  the  Saviour's  throne  rejoice. 

In  robes  of  light  arrayed: 
They  climbed  the  steep  ascent  of  heaven. 

Through  peril,  toil  and  pain: 
O  God,  to  us  may  grace  be  given 

To  follow  in  their  train. 


Leader. — And  the  night  following  the  Lord  stood  by  him, 
and  said,  "Be  of  good  cheer,  Paul:  for  as  thou  hast  testified 
concerning  me  at  Jerusalem,  so  must  thou  bear  witness  also 
at  Rome." 

People. — And  when  it  was  determined  that  we  should 
sail  into  Italy,  they  delivered  Paul  and  certain  other  prisoners 
unto  one  named  Julius,  a  centurion  of  Augustus'  band. 

Leader. — And  entering  into  a  ship  of  Adramyttium,  we 
launched,  meaning  to  sail  by  the  coasts  of  Asia.  (The 
Leader  will  then  say):  "After  the  tempest  of  two  weeks' 
duration,  the  vessel  w^as  driven  upon  the  Island  of  Malta, 
into  what  is  now  called  St.  Paul's  Bay.  The  soldiers  coun- 
seled the  centurion  to  kill  the  prisoners  lest  any  of  them 
should  escape." 

People. — But  the  centurion,  willing  to  save  Paul,  kept 
them  from  their  purpose,  and  commanded  that  they  which 

395 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

could  swim  should  cast  themselves  first  into  the  sea  and  get 
to  land. 

Leader. — And  the  rest,  some  on  boards  and  some  on 
broken  pieces  of  the  ship.  And  so  it  came  to  pass,  that  they 
all  escaped  safe  to  land. 

God  moves  in  a  mysterious  way 

His  wonders  to  perform; 
He  plants  his  footsteps  in  the  sea, 

And  rides  upon  the  storm. 

His  purposes  will  ripen  fast, 

Unfolding  every  hour; 
The  bud  may  have  a  bitter  taste, 

But  sweet  will  be  the  flower. 

Blind  unbelief  is  sure  to  err. 

And  scan  His  work  in  vain; 
God  is  his  own  interpreter, 

And  he  will  make  it  plain. 

Leader. — And  so  we  went  toward  Rome. 

People. — And  when  we  came  to  Rome,  the  centurion 
delivered  the  prisoners  to  the  captain  of  the  guard:  but  Paul 
was  suffered  to  dwell  by  himself  with  a  soldier  that  kept  him. 

Leader. — And  Paul  dwelt  two  whole  years  in  his  own 
hired  house,  and  received  all  that  came  in  unto  him. 

People. — Preaching  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  teaching 
those  things  which  concern  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  with  all 
confidence,  no  man  forbidding  him. 

Leader. — I  would  ye  should  understand,  brethren,  that 
the  things  which  happened  unto  me  have  fallen  out  rather 
unto  the  furtherance  of  the  gospel. 

People. — So  that  my  bonds  in  Christ  are  manifest  in  all 
the  palace,  and  in  all  other  places. 

Leader. — And  many  of  the  brethren  in  the  Lord,  waxing 
confident  by  my  bonds,  are  much  more  bold  to  speak  the 
word  without  fear. 

People. — I  charge  thee,  therefore,  before  God  and  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  shall  judge  the  quick  and  the  dead 
at  his  appearing  and  his  kingdom. 

396 


World's  Sunday  School  Day  Service 

Leader. — Preach  the  word;  be  instant  in  season,  out  of 
season;  reprove,  rebuke,  exhort  with  all  longsuffering  and 
doctrine. 

People. — What  shall  we  then  sa}^  to  these  things  ?  If  God 
be  for  us,  who  can  be  against  us? 

Leader. — He  that  spared  not  his  own  Son,  but  delivered 
him  up  for  us  all,  how  shall  he  not  with  him  also  freely  give 
us  all  things? 

People. — Who  shall  separate  us  from  the  love  of  Christ? 
Shall  tribulation,  or  distress,  or  persecution,  or  famine,  or 
nakedness,  or  peril,  or  sword? 

Leader. — As  it  is  written.  For  thy  sake  we  are  killed  all 
the  day  long ;  we  are  accounted  as  sheep  for  the  slaughter. 

People. — Nay,  in  all  these  things  we  are  more  than  con- 
querors through  him  that  loved  us. 

Leader. — For  I  am  persuaded  that  neither  death,  nor  life, 
nor  angels,  nor  principalities,  nor  powers,  nor  things  present, 
nor  things  to  come. 

People. — Nor  height,  nor  depth,  nor  any  other  creature, 
shall  be  able  to  separate  us  from  the  love  of  God,  which  is 
in  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord. 

Leader. — Wherefore,  seeing  we  also  are  compassed  about 
with  so  great  a  cloud  of  witnesses,  let  us  lay  aside  every 
weight,  and  the  sin  which  doth  so  easily  beset  us,  and  let  us 
run  with  patience  the  race  that  is  set  before  us. 

People. — Looking  unto  Jesus  the  author  and  finisher  of 
our  faith;  who  for  the  joy  that  was  set  before  him  endured  the 
cross,  despising  the  shame,  and  is  set  down  at  the  right  hand 
of  the  throne  of  God. 

Leader. — For  consider  him  that  endured  such  contradiction 
of  sinners  against  himself,  lest  ye  be  wearied  and  faint  in 
your  minds. 

People.— YoY  I  am  now  ready  to  be  offered,  and  the  time 
of  my  departure  is  at  hand. 

Leader. — I  have  fought  a  good  fight,  I  have  finished  my 
course,  I  have  kept  the  faith, 

397, 


World's  Sunday  School  Day  Service 

People.— HenceioYth.  there  is  laid  up  for  me  a  crown  of 
righteousness,  which  the  Lord,  the  righteous  judge  shall 
give  me  at  that  day,  and  not  to  me  only,  but  unto  all  them 
also  that  love  his  appearing. 

For  all  the  saints  who  from  their  labors  rest 
Who  thee  by  faith  before  the  world  confessed, 
Thy  Name,  O  Jesus,  be  forever  blest. 

Alleluia!     Alleluia! 


Thou  wast  their  rock,  their  Fortress,  and  their  Might; 
Thou,  Lord,  their  Captain  in  the  well-fought  fight; 
Thou,  in  the  darkness  drear,  their  one  true  light. 

Alleluia!     Alleluia! 


O  may  Thy  soldiers,  faithful,  true,  and  bold, 
Fight  as  the  saints  who  nobly  fought  of  old. 
And  win  with  them  the  victor's  crown  of  gold. 

Alleluia!     Alleluia! 


From  earth's  wide  bounds,  from  ocean's  farthest  coast, 
Through  gates  of  pearl  streams  in  the  countless  host. 
Singing  to  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost. 

Alleluia!     Alleluia! 


Cable  Messages  to  the  Convention 

"  To  all  that  are  in  Rome,  beloved  of  God,  called  to  be 

saints:   Grace  to  you  and  peace  from  God  our  Father,  and 

the  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 

William  Henry  Roberts, 
Moderator  of  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  Church 
in  America  in  session  in  Columbus,  Ohio. 

"  Greetings   to    the   Convention   from   Oakland  School, 

Chicago. 

Gregory. 

"  Mercy  unto  you  and  peace  and  love  be  multiplied." 

H.  C.  Gara, 
Superintendent  Princeton  Presbyterian  Sunday  School,  Philadel- 
phia, U.  S.  A. 


"The  Rome  Pilgrims" 

"  Ohio  sends  greetings." 

Timothy  Standby  (Joseph  Clark), 
General  Secretary  Ohio  Sunday  School  Association,  U.  S.  A. 

"  All  that  are  with  me  salute  thee.  Salute  them  that 
love  us  in  the  faith." 

W.  M.  LONGSTRETH, 

President  Presbyterian  Superintendents  Association,  Philadelphia, 
U.  S.  A. 

''The  Rome  Pilgrims" 
President,  James  W.  Kinnear,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 
Secretary,  George  W.  Penniman,  Brockton,  Mass. 
Treasurer,  Charles  C.  Stoll,  Louisville,  Ky. 

Executive  Committee,  in  addition  to  the  above-named 
persons : 

Rev.  J.  C.  Massee,  Raleigh,  N.  C;  L.  W.  Nuttall,  Nut- 
tallburg,  W.  Va.;  T.  W.  Waterman,  Providence,  R.  I.; 
Wm.  G.  French,  San  Francisco,  CaHf.;  Rev.  B.  B.  Tyler, 
D.D.,  Denver,  Colo.;  Rev.  C.  S.  Albert,  D.D.,  Philadelphia, 
Pa.;  Rev.  E.  I.  Rexford,  LL.D.,  Montreal,  Quebec— of  the 
"Romanic."  Rev.  E.  E.  Braithwaite,  Somerville,  Mass.; 
Rev.  J.  B.  Ganong,  Sussex,  N.  B.;  H.  H.  Mercer,  Mechan- 
icsburg,  Pa.;  R.  E.  Magill,  Richmond,  Va.,  and  W.  G. 
"Landes,  Philadelphia,  Pa.— of  the  "Neckar." 

A  reunion  is  planned  to  be  held  during  the  Louisville, 
International  Convention,  June  1908. 

The  "Romanic"  Elementary  Union 

President,  Mrs.  J  A.  Walker,  Colorado;  Vice  President, 
Miss  Lucy  G.  Stock,  Massachusetts;  Junior  Vice  Presi- 
dent, Mrs.  Mary  Foster  Bryner,  Illinois;  Primary  Vice 
President,  Miss  Martha  V.  Graham,  West  Virginia;  Begin- 
ners' Vice  President,  Miss  Minnie  E.  Kennedy,  Alabama; 
Cradle  Roll  Vice  President,  Miss  EHzabeth  Williams, 
Michigan;  Secretary,  Mrs.  H.  E.  Lufkin,  Maine. 

399 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 


List  of  Enrolled  Delegates 


ARGENTINE  REPUBLIC: 
J.  Fred  Smith,  Buenos  Ayres. 
Mrs.  J.  Fred  Smith,  Buenos  Ayres. 

ASIA  MINOR: 

Miss  Agnes  C.  Salmond,  Marash. 

VICTORIA,  AUSTRALIA: 
C.  E.  Bell,  Melbourne. 
C.  LeUa  Bell,  Melbourne. 
George  Bell,  Melbourne. 

BELGIUM: 

Rev.  Henri  Anet,  M.A.,  B.D.,  Lize 

Seraing. 
G.    Lagerstedz,   Helsingland. 

BOHEMIA: 

Rev.  Dr.  Albert  W.  Clark,  Prague. 
Rev.  J.  S.  Porter,  Prague. 

BULGARIA: 

Rev.  Elmer  Ernest  Count,  Rustchuk. 
Elizabeth  Hudson  Holway,  Samokove. 
Rev.      Theodore   T.   Holway,    M.A., 

Samokove. 
Jolin  J.   Setchanoff,   Philippopolis. 

BURMA: 

Mrs.  Helen  W.  Hancock,  Tavoy. 
Mrs.  C.  A.  Nichols,  Bassim. 

CANADA. 

BRITISH  COLUMBIA: 
Mrs.  Jean  Templer. 

MANITOBA: 
George  S.  Dingle. 
Rev.  W.  E.  Eagan. 
Mrs.  Mary  Halstead. 
Mrs.  P.  H.  Snider. 

NEW  BRUNSWICK: 
Miss  Almeda  Burchill. 
Mrs.  L.  C.  Dearborn. 
Rev.  J.  B.  Ganong. 
Miss  Bertha  G.  Smith. 

NOVA  SCOTIA: 
Rev.  Jabez  Appleby. 
Rev.  O.  N.  Chipman. 
Rev.  G.  J.  Coulter  White.' 
Mrs.  White. 

ONTARIO: 

Mrs.  F.  H.  Clifford. 


Rev.  A.  C.  Crews.  D.D. 
Rev.  Geo.  D.  Damon,  B.D. 
Mrs.  Clara  A.  Eabrius. 
Miss  Jean  Earle  Geeson. 
Miss  I.  Gordon. 
Jacob  Kauffman. 
Mrs.  Kauffman. 
Rev.  Samuel  R.  Kuecktel. 
Arnold  T.  Panatake. 
Miss  Christie  B.  McGaw. 
Rev.  John  McLaurin,  D.D. 
John  M.  Telford. 
Edward  Y.  Spurr. 
Miss  Gertrude  Wood. 
Miss  Margaret  Wood. 
Miss  Charlotte  Yuull. 

PRINCE  EDWARD  ISLAND: 
Rev.  E.  J.  Rattee,  B.A. 

QUEBEC: 
Albert  Close. 
Miss  Alice  A.  Dent. 
Mrs.  A.  L.  Hyman. 
Miss  Saidie  Hyman. 
Miss  Edna  R.  Hyman. 
Mrs.  J.  R.  Lowder. 
Miss  Grace  Lowder. 
Miss  Catherine  Lowder. 
Rev.  Elson  I.  Rexford,  LL.D. 
Dr.  H.  S.  Shaw. 

SASKATCHEWAN: 
Robert  Mcintosh. 
Mrs.  Mcintosh. 

CONGO  FREE  STATE: 
Rev.  Joseph  Clark,  Ikoko. 

DENMARK: 

H.  Andersen,  Copenhagen. 

Mrs.  A.  Koch,  Copenhagen. 

P.  D.  Koch,  M.D.,  Copenhagen. 

Rev.  L.  C.  Larsen,  Vejle. 

Anton  Pedersen,  Natborg. 

T.  Pedersen,  Copenhagen. 

C.  I.   Scharling,   Copenhagen. 

EGYPT: 

Rev.   Methak  Bakhit,   Luxor. 
Rev.  Moawad  Hanna,  Assiut. 
Rev.  Ishak  Ibrahim,  Kena. 
Mrs.  Fardous  Ishak,  Kena. 
Rev.  Goubrial  Makhiel,  Aboutig. 
Mrs.  Amelia  S.  Murch,  Luxor. 
Rev.  Chauncey  Murch,  D.D.,  Luxor. 


400 


List  of  Delee:ates 


ENGLAND: 

A.  Atkins,  London. 

Mrs.  Hester  E.  Atkins,  Dover. 

W.  D.  Atkins,  Dover. 

Alfred  Barham,  Bamsley. 

William  Baron,  Bacup. 

D.  B.  Bayly,  London. 

J.  H.  Beckley,  Plymouth. 

F.  F.  Belsev,  London. 

F.  Best,  Addisham. 

Arthur  Black,  Liverpool. 

R.  J.  Blacklock,  Stroud  Green,  N. 

Mrs.  Carey  Bonner,  London. 

Rev.  Carey  Bonner,  London. 

Clara  R.  Britton,  West  Croydon. 

Herbert  L.  Brown,  London. 

William  Brown,  Birmingham. 

R.  J.  Carman,  London. 

Miss  Carryer,  London. 

Mrs.  A.  Carrver,  London. 

Miss  E.  Bertha  Cave,  Deal. 

Miss  Elizabeth  Cave,  Dover. 

H.  F.  Chittock,  London. 

J.  Wesley  Clift,  Wellington. 

Augustus  Williams  Collier,  London. 

John  Crockett,  Leeds. 

James  S.  Crowther,  London. 

Miss  J.  Cudworth,  Bradford. 

Miss  Adelaide  Denson,  Chester. 

J.  J.  Doughty,  Derby. 

Mrs.   J.   J.   Doughty,   Derby. 

Thomas  Dowling,  Broadstairs. 

Miss  Dowsett,  Southend-on-Sea. 

Thomas  Edwards,  London. 

Miss  F.  L.  Fenton,  Dewsbury. 

Charles  G.  Fluck,  London. 

Mrs.  Fluck,  London 

J.  R.  Fuller,  Kingsbridge. 

Mrs.  Frank  Freeman,  Wimbledon, 

W.  Frank  Freeman,  Wimbledon. 

William  Frank  Freeman,  Hazelhurst. 

'Mrs.  Henry   G.   Gardner,   Bristol. 

Miss  Elizabeth  Gardner,  Bristol. 

F.  J.  Godden,  Canterbury. 

Miss  M.  E.  Goldspink,  Southend-on- 
Sea. 

Faith  Goodwin,  Wimboume. 

Miss  Bessie  Griffiths,  Chester. 

E.  L.  Guest,  Nottingham. 

Rev.  John  Hill  man,  London. 

James    P.     Hindshaw,     Pendleton 
(Salford). 

Margaret       Hindshaw,        Pendleton 
(Salford) 

Rev.  F.  A.  Hirst,  London. 

T.  R.  Hooper,  Redhill. 

William  Houghton,  Lanchester. 

Henry  Hurrell,  Plymouth. 

S.  T.  Jev,  Bristol. 

Alfred  E:  KUlon,  Carlisle. 

Rev.  N.  E.  Killon,  London. 

Rev.   H.  Knowles  Kempton,  Canter- 
bury. 

Miss    Jane    Lace,    Port    St.    Mary. 

Mary  H.  Leigh,  Stockport. 


H.  G.  Light,  Southampton. 

C.  L.  Longbottom,  Sheffield. 

Miss     Mary     Eleanor     Longbottom, 
Sheffield. 

Miss  M.  H.  Longbottom,  Sheffield. 

Miss  Loveless,  Norfolk. 

John  S.  Madden,  York. 

Rev.  Henry  Mann,  London. 

Miss  Bertha  Marsden,  Wigan. 

Mrs.  F.  B.  Meyer,  London. 

Rev.  F.  B.  :Meyer,  London. 

Miss  Louisa  Mitchell. 

William  James  Mitchell,  Xewcastle- 
on-Tyne. 

Miss  Annie  Morris,  Swansea. 

Rev.   Francis  James    Morrish,   B.A. 
Bideford. 

P.  Monk,  London. 

A.  C.  Monro,  London. 

Rev.  G.  Campbell  Morgan,  London. 

E.  R.  Nicole,  Chingford. 

H.  W.  Nock,  Birmingham. 

Mrs.  H.  W.  Nock,  Birmingham. 

John  D.  Oliver,  Morpeth. 

Mrs.  J.  D.  Oliver,  .Morpeth. 

George  Parr,  London. 
Arthiu-  Passey,  Kingston. 
E.  I.  Passey,  Presteigne. 
William  Patterson,  Ossett. 
L.B.  Piatt.  Sheffield. 
Miss  Kate  Popert,  London." 
Miss  Pratt,  Reading. 
George  Radford,  Swansea. 
Miss  C.  A.  Radford,  Swansea. 
Miss  ErminieRisdon,  Washford. 
H.  E.  G.  Robinson,  London. 
W.  T.  Robinson,  London. 
Harold  St.  John,  London. 
Jolin  Scott,  J.P.,  Dover. 
Mrs.  Scott,  Dover. 
Donald  H.  H.  Searle,  Plymouth. 
George  Shipway,  J. P.,  Birmingham. 
Miss  Esther  Shrimpton,  Buckingham- 
shire. 
Arthur  Smith,  London. 
Mrs.  I.  I.  Stephens,  Presteigne. 
Miss  Bertha  Juxon  Symons,  Bath. 
Miss  D.  Symons,  Bath. 
W.  H.  Symons,  M.D.,  Bath. 
Bertha  E.  Talbot,  Reading, 
iliss  S.  Talbot,  Reading. 
Edgar  Robson  Tanner,  Bristol. 
G.  C.  Tovev,  Newport  (Mon.). 
Mrs.  G.  C.  Tovey,  Newport  (Mon.). 
H.  D.  Vincent,  Enfield. 
Miss  Annie  Ward,  Stockport. 
jSIiss  Elsie  Ward,  Stockport. 
Alfred  W.  Warner,  Ipswich. 
Mrs.  A.  W.  Warner,  Ipswich. 
Charles  Waters.  London. 
Miss  E.  A.  Webb,  Swindon. 
Rev.  Alexander  Wilson,   B.A.,   Lud- 

gate.  _ 
Miss  Wilson,  Nottingham. 
J.  A.  Wood,  Manchester. 


401 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 


FINLAND: 
Anna  Hernberg,  Tavastehus. 
R.  Hernberg,  Tavastehus. 

FRANCE: 

Georges  Austrand,  Mialet. 
Madame  Charles  Bieler,  Paris. 
Rev.  Charles  Bieler,  B.U.,  Paris. 
Melle.  Merle  d'Aubigne,  Paris. 
Suzanne  Delord,  Nimes. 

GERMANY: 

Miss  E.  Basche,  Berlin. 

Pastor  Basche,  Berlin. 

Prof.  A.  G.  Bucher,  Frank fort-on-the 

Main. 
J.  G.  Fetzer,  Wandsleek. 
Johann  Fischer,  Lehe-Bremerhaven. 
Pastor  Constantine  Frick,  Bremen. 
Gerb  Gochums,  Newkirchen. 
Friedr.  Kaiser,  Bonn. 
J.  G.  Lehmann,  Kasscl. 
Immanuel  Mann,  Pforzheim. 
Enrico  Martin,  Guebniller. 
Rev.  W.  Meyer,  Zwickau. 
E.  C.  Nuner,  Zwickau. 
Adolphe  Schilde,  Bremen. 
Rev.  W.  M.  Schultz,  Berlin. 
August  Stocker,  Stuttgart. 
Emma  Urech,  Heilbroun. 

GREECE: 

Demetrius  Kalopothakis,  Athens. 

HUNGARY: 

L.  Balagh,  Budapest. 
Loyss  Balogh,  Boszormeny. 
Artila  Csopjak,  Budapest. 
Rev.  Gyula  Forgacs,  Budapest. 
Isabadi  F.  Gusztav,  Budapest. 
Aranka  Irabady,  Budapest. 
Isolay  Joisef,  Nagybecskesek. 
Rev.  Andrew  Kajel,  Losonoz. 
Rev.  F.  H.  Melle,  Budapest. 
Henry  Meyer,  Budapest. 
Mrs.  Henry  Meyer,  Budapest. 
Flora  Murakozy,  Budapest. 
M.  Pfeiffer,  Budapest. 
Rev.  Gixa  Takaro,  Rakospalota. 
A.  Udarnoki,  Budapest. 

INDIA: 
Miss  Lucy  Booker,  Atmakur. 
Prmcipal  Cotelingam,  M.  A.,  Bellary. 
Esther  Cummings,  Jhelum. 
James  B.  Cummings,  Jhelum. 
John  W.  Cummings,  jhelum. 
Margaret  Cummings,  Jhelum. 
Robert  "W.  Gumming?,  Jhelum. 
Rev.  T.  F.  Cummings,  Jhelum. 
Mrs.  T.  F.  Cummings,  Jhelum. 
Miss  Kate  M.  French,  Secunderabad. 
Mrs.  M.  B.  McLaurin,  Coonoor. 
Miss   Agnes   M.    Naish,    B.  A.,  Pal- 

amcottah. 
Miss  E.  E.  Morrish,  Ajmere. 
Miss  Emily  White,  Calcutta. 


IRELAND: 

fe  Rev.  John  Glasgow,  Cookstown. 

William  G.  Glasgow,  Dromara. 

J.  B.  Jackson,  Cork. 

James  Kerr,  Monoghan. 

T.  R.  WUson,  Sligo. 

Mrs.  M.  M.  Wolfe,  Skibbereen. 

ITALY: 

Giovanni  Ambrosini  Milan.  _ 
Antonino  Amicarelli,  Schiavi  d'Abruz- 

zio. 
Leopaldina  Amicarelli,  Schiavi  d'Ab- 

ruzzio. 
Guglielmo  Angislilli,  Rome. 
Alfredo  Antonini,  Venice. 
Giovanni  Arbanasich,  Sampierdarena. 
Alfredo  Baldi,  Rome. 
Domenico  Baldocchi,  Naples. 
Elena  Bardassini,  Florence. 
Ugo  Bazoli,  Perano. 
Antonio  Beltrami,  Milan. 
Virginia  Beltrami,  Milan. 
Giovarmi  Berio,  Caserta. 
Barbara  Bernatto,  Florence. 
Serafino  Bernatto,  Florence. 
Eugenio  Berrini,  Alessandria. 
Davide  Bosio,  Florence. 
Luigi  Bossi,  Caserta. 
Laira  Bracchetto,  Piombino. 
Cav.  Bernardo  Bracchetto,  Leghorn. 
Alberto  Burattini,  Savono. 
Edith  H.  Burt,  Rome. 
Giuseppe  Cappello,  Salerno. 
Frank  Carbone,  Potenza. 
Maria  Caroti,  Orbetello. 
Michele  Catalano,  Rome. 
Eleonora  Cerimboli,  Florence. 
Ina  Cerimboli,  Florence. 
Oreste  Ciambellotti,  Avellino. 
Adolfo  Comba,  Genoa. 
Amaldo  Comba,  Florence. 

Daniele  Contino,  Montaldo  Scarampi. 

Timoteo  Corlando,  Vercelli. 
Emilio  Corsani,  Florence. 

Agesilao  Costasecca,  Sgurgola. 
Dina  Danesi,  Leghovn. 
Anna  Davis,  Padova. 

Riccardo  Davis,  Padova. 

Alessandro  de  Angelis,  Rome. 

Ereole  D'Eranne,  Introdacqua. 

Harminio     Del      Vecchio,      Schiavi 
d'Abruzzio 

Elisa  Fera,  Florence. 

Cao.  Saverio  Fera,  Florence. 

Argia  V.  Ferreri,  Orbetello. 

Carlo  M.  Ferreri,  Rome. 

Ines  Ferreri,  Rome. 

Ernesto  FUippini,  Rome. 

Beatrice  Filippini,  Rome. 

Alfredo  Dubs  Forster,  Brescia. 

Clara  Dubs  Forster,  Brescia. 

Febe  Galassi,  Rome. 

Gildippe  Galassi,  Rome. 

L.  M.  Galassi,  Rome. 

Italia  Garibaldi,  Rome, 


402 


List  of  Delegates 


Gaio  A.  Gay,  Naples. 

Paolo  Gay,  Villar  Pellice. 

Domenico  Germato,  Altamura. 

Empsto  Giampiccoli,  Corino. 

Itala  Giannini,  Florence. 

Stala  Giannini,  Florence. 

Luigi  Giovannoni,  Marsiglia. 

G.  D.  Armand  Hugon,  Rio  Marina. 

Sophia  D.  Hutchinson,  Florence. 

Aimee  Jalla,  Florence. 

Odoardo  Jalla,  Florence. 

Lea  Lala,  Rome. 

Luigi  Lala,  Rome. 

Lutina  G.  Lala,  Rome. 

Carlo  Antonio  Lanini,  Florence. 

Furio  Lenzi,  Orbetello. 

Augusto  Lenzi,  Marsiglia. 

Annina  Longo,  Florence. 

Giacomo  Longo,  Florence. 

Luigi  Loporlido,  Potenza. 

Eva  Luzzi,  Florence. 

Prof.  Giovanni  Luzzi,  Florence. 

Rinaldo  Malan,  Florence. 

Aonio  Malan,  Rome. 

Arrigo  Mando,  Rome. 

Elvira  Mando,  Florence. 

Evelina  Mando,  Rome. 

Flora  Mando,  Rome. 

Luigi  Mando,  Nami. 

Luigi  Mando,  Rome. 

Lydia  Mando,  Rome. 

Augusto  Manini,  Alessandria. 

Maria     Mastronardi,     Villa     Canale 

Agnone. 
Pasquale   Mastronardi,   Villa   Canale 

_  Agnone. 
Aida  Meille,  Campobasso. 
Giovanni  Meille,  Campobasso. 
Elena  Meille,  Luserna  S.  Giovanni. 
Emilia  Meille,  Luserna  S.  Giovanni. 
Miss  E.  M.  Naish,  Rome. 
Lavinia  Nannoni,  Florence. 
Enrico  Pascal,  Corino. 
Lodovico  Paschetto,  Rome. 
Giuseppe  Perenzin,  Palombara. 
Agostino  Pierotti,  Pisa. 
Maria  Pierotti,  Pisa. 
Giovaimi  Pons,  Corino. 
Nadine  Prochet,  Rome. 
Roberto  Prochet,  Rome. 
Antonio  Rapicavoli,  Calosso  D'Asti. 
Mary  J.  Robertson,  Florence. 
Paolo  Rocchini,  Carrara. 
Luigi  Rostagno,  Palermo. 
Antonio  Rostan,  Rome. 
Francesca  Rostan,  Genoa. 
Carmine  Santacroce,  Ancona. 
Riccardo  Santi,  Naples. 
Domenico  Scalera,  Naples. 
Giulia  Schiavi.  Montaldo  Scarampi. 
Lucio  Schiro,  Perugia. 
Ernst  Schubert,  Rome. 
Mrs.  Ernst  Schubert,  Rome. 
Miss  Theodora  Shaw,  Rome. 
Leonardo  Sikuda,  Corino. 
Oreste  Spada,  Savona. 


Egisto  Spini,  S.  Marzano  Oliveto. 
Santi  Stagnitta,  Reggio  Calabria. 
Maria  Stallone,  Gravina. 
Elisa  Stanganini,  Pordenone. 
Donato  Stanganini,  Pordenone. 
Carlo  Stendardo,  Naples. 
EmUio  Strore,  Florence. 
Salvatore  Susi,  Introdacqua. 
Alfredo  Taglialatela,   Milan. 
Eduardo  Taglialatela,  Milan. 
Florence  Taglialatela,  Milan. 
Prof.  Pietro  Taglialatela,  Milan. 
Samuele  Taliero,  S.  Marzano  Oliveto. 
Giovanni     Terzano,     S.       Marzano 

Olivets. 
Francesca  Teukel,  Gravina. 
Roberto  Teukel,  Gravina. 
Lydia  Torti,  Florence. 
Giulio  Tron,  Turin. 
Enrico  Tron,  Florence. 
Giovanni  Tron,  Campobasso. 
\"incenzo  Tummolo,  Rome. 
Arturo  Vinay,  Florence. 
Carlo  Visconti,  Milan. 
Vincenzina  Visconti,  Milan. 
Robert  Walker,  Florence. 
Dexter  G.  Whittingliill,  Rome. 
Mts.  Whittmghill.  Rome. 

JAPAN: 

Rev.  John  G.  Dunlop,  Fakui. 
Rev.  Dr.  A.  D.  Hail,  Osaka. 
Mrs.  A.  D.  Hail,  Osaka. 
Annie  N.  Hail,  Osaka. 
Rev.  W.  W.  Prudham,  Toyama. 
Mrs.  W.  W.  Prudham,  Toyama. 
Rev.  D.  B.  Schneder,  D.D.,  Sendai. 
M.  N.  Wyckoff,  Tokyo. 
IVIrs.  M.  N.  Wyckoff,  Tokyo. 

MADEIRA: 

Bishop  J.  C.  Hartzell. 

Mrs.  Hartzell. 

Miss  Louisa  Meyers. 

MEXICO: 

S.  A.  Hale. 

Miss  Georgia  M.  Waterwall. 

NORTH  AFRICA: 

Rev.  J.  J.  Cooksey,  Sousse. 

NORWAY: 

Rev.  Gunnar  Nesse,  Trondhjem. 
Rev.  J.  M.  Sellevold,  Christiania. 

PALESTINE: 

Herbert  E.  Clark,  Jerusalem. 
Mrs.  Herbert  E.  Clark,  Jerusalem. 
Rev.  A.  Edward  Kelsey,  Ramallah. 
Mrs.  A.  Edward  Kelsey,  Ramallah. 
Frances  W.  Kelsey,  Ramallah. 
Irving  W.  Kelsey,  Ramallah. 
Mrs.  John  P.  Newman,  Jerusalem. 
Rev.  A.  E.  Thompson.  Jerusalem. 


403 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 


PORTUGAL: 

Herbert  Cassels,  Oporto. 

Rev.  H.  Maxwell  Wright. 
RUSSIA: 

Herr  John  Hanisch. 
SCOTLAND: 

David  Begg,  Paisley. 

Mrs.  Begg,  Paisley. 

Agnes  M.  Brown,  Glasgow. 

Miss  M.  A.  Brown,  Cambuslang. 

J.     Robertson     Buchanan,     M.A., 
Paisley. 

Peter  Campbell,  Perth. 

Miss  Cant,  Leith. 

Catherine  Clark,  Glasgow. 

Miss  Jeanie  F.  Coats,  Paisley. 

Miss  Mary  W.  Coats,  Largs. 

Miss  Annie  C.  Daly,  Glasgow, 

Miss  Mary  B.  Duff,  Cambuslang. 

Miss  Jean  I.  Gray,  Ayr. 

Miss  Polly  Gray,  Ayr. 

W.  C.  A.  Gray,  Ayr. 

Margaret  Lang,  Glasgow. 

Margaret  Mackenzie,  Glasgow. 

John  Maconochie,  Perth. 

Jessie  G.  Mcjannett,  Glasgow. 

William  McMath,  Stranraer. 

Miss  M.  Miller,  Callander. 

Miss  E.  H.  M'Murray,  Wigtown. 

Mrs.  Marshall,  Ayr. 

James  Parlane,  Paisley. 

Miss  Bella  Proudfoot,  Perth. 

Miss.  Lizzie  Proudfoot,  Perth. 

Elizabeth  Ritchie,  Glasgow. 

A.  M.  Ross,  Glasgow. 

Miss  Eva  Ross,  Paisley. 

Miss  F.  Ross,  Paisley. 

Mrs.  Rowan,  Wigtown. 

Jessie  Jane  Scott,  Arliroath. 

Thomas  Scott,  Uddingston. 

Mrs.  Thomas  Scott,  Uddingston. 

Thomas  R.  Stevenson,  Glasgow. 
Miss  M.  Wuchachlan,  Glasgow. 

Mrs.  L.  H.  Walker,  Colingsburgh. 

Robert  Walker,  Crossmichael. 

Miss  E.  G.  Wyllie,  Ayr. 
SOUTH  AFRICA: 

D.  Knight,  LP.,  Grahamstown. 

Miss  Knight,  Grahamstown. 

Miss  E.  Knight,  Grahamstown. 
SOUTH  WALES: 

Evan  Davies,  Aberdare. 

J.  O.  Davies,  Barry. 

J.  R.  Evans,  Rhondda  Valley. 

Mrs.  J.  R.  Evans,  Rhondda  Valley. 

A.  Loveridge,  Cardiff. 

George  Parr,  Aberdare. 

Rev.  John  Robertson  M.  A.,  Aberdare. 

SPAIN: 

Francisco  Albricias,  Alicante. 
SWEDEN: 

K.  J.  Karlsson,  Eskilstuna. 

Olof  Lindholm,  Stockholm. 

August  Palm,  Stockholm. 


SWITZERLAND: 

Miss  Bertha  Banziger,  Emmishofen. 
Hulda  Benner,  Neuchatel. 
Lydia  Benner,  Neuchatel. 
Susanne  Chevalley,  Cully. 
Christian  G.  Knoll,  Geneva. 
L.  Peters,  Horgen. 
Prof.  Dr.  A.  Sulzberger,  Zurich. 
G.  Werner,  Basle. 
A.  von  May,  Pisa. 

SYRIA: 

Rev.   Ghosn-el-Howie,  M.A.,  Ph.D., 

Shweir. 
Canada  S.  Howie,  Shweir. 
Ruby  S.  Howie,  Shweir. 

TURKEY: 

Miss  Maud  Binns,  Constantinople. 
Rev.  Thos.  D.  Christie,  D.D.,  LL.D. 

Tarsus. 
Rev.  Robt.  S.  Stapleton,  Erzroom. 
Mrs.  R.  S.  Stapleton,  Erzroom. 

UNITED  STATES. 

ALABAMA: 
Herman  Alber. 
Miss  Elise  Alber. 
Miss  Marie  Hudmon. 
Miss  Mmnie  E.  Kennedy. 
Miss  Annie  Shapard. 
Miss  Jeanette  Shapard. 
Mrs.  M.  T.  Trawick. 
Miss  Eva  Wright. 

ARKANSAS: 
Will  R.  Stuck. 
Mrs.  Stuck. 

CALIFORNIA: 

Miss  Nellie  P.  Beverly. 
Chas.  M.  Campbell. 
Miss  Alice  Cornwall. 
M.  M.  Crookshank. 
Mrs.  Crookshank. 
Miss  Lida  E.  Crookshank. 
John  Cubbon. 
Miss  Katherine  Cubbon. 
Rev.  Frank  M.  Dowling. 
Mrs.  Maria  Farnsworth. 
Mrs.  J.  A.  Finley. 
Chas.  R.  Fisher. 
W.  G.  French. 
Mrs.  French, 
Miss  Eula  Glide. 
■Miss  Hattie  F.  Gower. 
Miss  Mary  L.  Gower. 
Miss  Margaret  G.  Grant. 
Mrs.  J.  M.  Grant. 
Rev.  Geo.  A.  Hough,  D,D. 
Mrs.  Hough. 
Miss  Margaret  Ore. 
Walter  L.  Porterfield. 
Miss  Daisy  Porterfield. 
Miss  Stella  May  Preble. 


404 


List  of  Delegates 


Mrs.  L.  C.  Skinner. 

Rev.  A.  C.  Smither. 

Mrs.  Smither. 

Chester  Smither. 

Miss  Margaret  Wakeham. 

Miss  Claribel  Williams. 

COLORADO: 

Rev.  John  E.  Ford. 

Mrs.  Josephine  K.  Getchell. 

Mrs.  E.  J.  Gregory. 

Miss  Almeda  E.  Loomis. 

Irwin  A.  Moon. 

Mrs.  Moon. 

Miss  Thelma  A.  Moon. 

Miss  Virginia  S.  Moon. 

J.  L.  Oliver. 

Rev.  B.  B.  Tyler,  D.D. 

Mrs.  Tyler. 

Mrs.  J.  A.  Walker. 

CONNECTICUT: 

Mrs.  Ada  E.  Brinsmade. 
Mrs.  Alice  E.  Clay. 
Miss  Emma  M.  Colver. 
]VIrs.  Ellen  C.  Colver. 
Miss  Clara  AI.  Hill. 
Miss  Lillian  A.  Gladwin. 
Rev.  H.  M.  Kellogg,  B.D. 
Charles  B.  Compton. 
Ira  B.  Nutter. 
Geo.  B.  Stephenson. 

DISTRICT  OF  COLUMBIA: 
ALrs.  Mary  S.  Blackburn. 
Rev.  W.  J.  Howard. 
W.  O.  Ison. 

FLORIDA: 

Miss  Mary  A.  Martman. 
Mrs.  W.  C.  B.  Rawson. 
Dr.  C.  E.  Thompson. 
Mrs.  Thompson. 

GEORGIA: 
A.  B.  Caldwell. 
Rev.  R.  C.  Cleckler. 
D.  Kirkland. 
Rev.  J.  W.  Lee,  D.D. 
Mrs.  Lee. 
?^v.  Robert  Van  Deventer,  D.D. 

HAWAII: 

Rev.  E.  B.  Turner. 

Miss  Alice  Roth. 

Mrs.  E.  B.  Waterhouse. 

Miss  Elsie  B.  Waterhouse. 

Miss  Marion  B.  Waterhouse. 

Miss  Margaret  Waterhouse. 

Miss  Eleanor  J.  Waterhouse. 

LLINOIS: 
Mrs.  A.  C.  Baldwin. 
Miss  Verde  Bishop. 
Mrs.  S.  E.  Bliss. 
Arthur  Boyle. 


Mrs.  Boyle. 
OrviUe  A.  Bradford. 
Mrs.  Mary  Foster  Bryner. 
Prof.  Lee  E.  Cannon. 
Miss  Lucie  B.  Clark. 
Alfred  L.  Clarke. 
Mrs.  Clarke. 
G.  T.  B.  Davis. 
Mrs.  E.  A.  R.  Davis. 
Leslie  J.  Dodds. 
Mrs.  Dodds. 
Mrs.  Jessie  B.  Dodds. 
Miss  Mary  W.  Dodds. 
Dr.  D.  T.  Douglass. 
J.  W.  Eldredge. 
Mrs.  Chas.  T.  Everson. 
E.  C.  Foster. 
Miss  Eva  M.  Hinman. 
Jolin  N.  Jacobsen. 
Mrs.  Jacobsen. 
Rev.  Gust.  F.  Johnson. 
.  Mrs.  Julia  M.  Jones. 
Wm.  Kaese. 
Mrs.  Kaese. 
Mrs.  Fredericka  Kopf. 
Miss  Emma  Kopf. 
Rev.  Fay  Marriott. 
Miss  Eleanor  McBumey. 
A.  R.  McGregor. 
Mrs.  ^McGregor. 
Geo.  W.  MiUer. 
Mrs.  Miller. 
W.  C.  Pearce. 
Mrs.  Pearce. 
Wilmar  Pearce. 
Prof.  Ira  M.  Price. 
Rev.  Albert  R.  Ransom. 
Miss  Isabelle  Reeves. 
F.  W.  Rueckheim. 
W.  B.  Rundle. 
Mrs.  Rundle. 
Miss  Mjnra  Rundle. 
Miss  Josephine  R.  Schell. 

Miss  Margaret  Scott. 

Miss  Victoria  Stafford. 
H.  E.  Sudlow. 

Miss  Florence  Tunnell. 

Rev.  Stanley  Ward,  A.B. 

Oliver  L.  Watson. 

Mrs.  Watson. 

Miss  Ruth  Watson. 

Miss  Mabel  Watson. 

Dr.  J.  P.  Webster. 

Mrs.  Webster. 

Fred  A.  Wells. 

Mrs.  WeUs. 

Miss  Edith  Wells. 

Harris  A.  Wells. 

Prof.  Herbert  L.  WUlett. 

iVIrs.  WiUett. 

Floyd  Price  Willett. 

Miss  Laota  Wright. 

INDIANA: 

Rev.  Thomas  J.  Bassett,  D.D. 
Rev.  Frank  H.  Magill. 


405 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 


Moses  Puterbaugh. 
Mrs.  Carrie  C.  Puterbaugh. 
Miss  Etta  Ridgway. 
Mrs.  S.  C.  Wilson. 
Mrs.  H.  Wilson. 

IOWA: 

Mrs.  J.  E.  Blair. 
Dr.  D.  M.  Christ. 
Rev.  J.  Lewis  Gillies. 
Mrs.  William  Mackay. 
S.  W.  Neal. 
Cyrus  F.  Stoddard. 
Miss  Estella  Turner. 

KANSAS: 

Miss  Gertrude  Clevenger. 
Mrs.  E.  F.  Kennedy. 
Rev.  W.  J.  Martindale,  D.D. 
Mrs.  T.  B.  Sweet. 
Miss  Anna  B.  Sweet. 
Miss  Mary  B.  Sweet. 

B.  F.  Welty. 

KENTUCKY: 
K.  L.  Chambers. 
Mrs.  Chambers.  _ 
Mrs.  J.  S.  Hawkins. 
Mrs.  Sophie  Haythausen. 
Henry  J.  Heick. 
Julia  Heick. 
Jno.  A.  Johnson. 
Henry  A.  Kraft. 
Sallie  W.  Kraft. 
Miss  Edna  Land. 
Harold  Means. 
Mrs.  Means. 
Mrs.  Susie  H.  Sandusky. 
Miss  Katherine  Sandusky. 
J.  B.  Saunders. 
Miss  Sue  B.  Scott. 
Miss  Susan  M.  Scott. 

C.  C.  StoU. 
Mrs.  StoU. 

Mrs.  C.  E.  Vessman. 
Henry  Vogt. 
.  Matilda  Vogt. 

LOUISIANA: 

Rev.  J.  W.  Adams. 
Rev.  J.  F.  Foster. 
Rev.  S.  S.  Keener,  D.D. 
John  B.  Meyers. 
Mrs.  Meyers. 
Henry  W.  Meyers. 
Miss  Louisa  Meyers. 

MAINE: 

Mrs.  Annie  S.  Goffe. 
H.  E.  Lufkin. 
Mrs.  Martha  H.  Partridge. 
Miss  Ellen  F.  Snow. 

MARYLAND: 
Rev.  H.  R.  Lookabill. 
Miss  Nellie  L.  Miller. 
Miss  Nellie  S.  Watts. 


MASSACHUSETTS: 
Mrs.  Mary  F.  Bates. 
Allen  W.  Blake. 
JVIrs.  Nellie  C.  Boutwell. 
Rev.  E.  E.  Braithwaite,  Ph.D. 
Miss  S.  P.  Brooks. 
Paul  Butler. 
Dr.  I.  E.  Chase. 
Frederic  W.  Faunce. 
James  M.  Forbush. 
Mrs.  Forbush. 
Rev.  Thomas  Fornear. 
Mrs.  E.  A.  Freeman. 
Mrs.  Stephen  Greene. 
Master  F.  Hartwell  Greene. 
Henry  F.  Guild. 
Mrs.  Guild. 
Mrs.  C.  C.  Hagerty. 
William  N.  Hartshorn. 
Mrs.  Hartshorn. 
Miss  Bertha  Hartshorn. 
Miss  Ida  U.  Hartshorn. 
Thomas  Henry. 
Mrs.  Henry.  '  " 

Dr.  Edward  Herbert. 
Mrs.  Eleanor  S.  C.  Herbert,  M.D. 
jVIrs.  E.  J.  Higgins. 
Miss  Lilian  S.  HUton. 
Mrs.  Mary  C.  Howard. 
Miss  Annie  P.  James. 
Dr.  Julia  Johnson. 
Rev.  Geo.  F.  Kengott. 
Mrs.  Kengott. 
Copley  O.  Meacom. 
Miss  Cora  D.  Mooney. 
Mrs.  F.  M.  Morse. 
George  W.  Penniman. 
Mrs.  Penniman. 
Rev.  W.  T.  Shattuck. 
Rev.  James  A.  Solandt. 
Miss  Annie  J.  Stewart. 
Miss  Lucy  G.  Stock. 
Miss  Mabel  E.  Stock. 
Arthur  C.  Stone. 
Miss  Elizabeth  D.  Tallman. 
W.  J.  TureU. 
Mrs.  TirreU. 
Miss  Grace  M.  Tirrell. 
Miss  Louise  A.  Tirrell. 
Mrs.  C.  H.  Watson. 
Rev.  E.  C.  Wheeler. 
Mrs.  Wheeler. 
Dr.  H.  Warren  Wliite. 
Mrs.  White. 

MICHIGAN. 
W.  D.  Anderson. 
Miss  Mary  M.  Bonnell. 
Hon.  Jno.  K.  Campbell. 
Miss  Alice  M.  Campbell. 
]VIrs.  Hugh  Connolly. 
Miss  Marion  Connolly. 
Carroll  S.  Daniels. 
Mrs.  A.  J.  Daniels. 
Miss  Eva  J.  Daniels. 
Mrs.  N.  A.  Fletcher. 


406 


List  of  Delegates 


Mrs.  Julia  Fletcher. 

C.  Fred  Grimmer. 

Rev.  J.  W.  Hallenback. 

Mrs.  Agnes  L.  Hallenback. 

Rev.  James  Hamilton,  D.D. 

Dr.  Emma  Decker. 

Dr.  Henry  W.  Harvey. 

Mrs.  Harvey. 

Paul  Hathaway. 

Miss  Zella  Hulett. 

Mrs.  John  Hicks. 

John  C.  Hicks. 

Mrs.  Hicks. 

Miss  B.  Louise  Hicks. 

Miss  Jennie  M.  Hicks. 

Miss  Bertha  L.  Howard. 

Mrs.  Edward  Jennings. 

IVIiss  Amy  Kershaw. 

Mrs.  Mary  E.  King. 

Miss  LaVern. 

Rev.  S.  T.  Morris. 

Miss  Mary  L.  Ferine,  A.B. 

Miss  Belle  Pratt. 

Aliss  Wilma  Robertson. 

Prof.  D.  F.  Ross. 

Mrs.  W.  H.  Snyder. 

Mrs.  Helen  K.  Scripps. 

Rev.  Albert  Torbet. 

Mrs.  J.  L.  Thomas. 

Miss  Cornelia  I.  Van  Der  Veen. 

E.  K.  Warren. 

Mrs.  Warren. 

IVIiss  Elizabeth  Williams. 

Miss  Lulu  M.  Young. 

MINNESOTA: 

Miss  Cora  D.  Blackley. 
Rev.  Charles  B.  Elliott. 
Miss  Louise  A.  Emery. 
Gilbert  Guttersen. 
Mrs.  Guttersen. 
Myrtle  E.  Guttersen. 
Granville  Guttersen. 
Gyda  Guttersen. 
Ernest  Guttersen. 
A.  W.  Guttersen. 
Leslie  Guttersen. 
E.  A.  Knowlton. 
Mrs.  Knowlton. 
Miss  Florence  A.  Mackey. 
Miss  Eva  T.  McCord. 
Mrs.  E.  M.  Van  Cleve. 

MISSISSIPPI: 
Rev.  J.  E.  Byrd, 

MISSOURI: 
Mrs.  W.  J. 
Miss  Irene 
Mrs.  E.  L. 
Mrs.  Clara 
Rev.  A.  P. 
Rev.  John 
Mrs.  Clara 
Rev.  W.  T 
Mrs.  F.  C. 


Brown. 
I.  Brown. 
Bruce. 

B.  Brundage. 
George,  D.D. 
Gillies,  D.D. 
L.  Graham. 
McClure. 
Miller. 


Mrs.  Margaret  S.  Pugh. 
Rev.  Mosheim  Rhodes,  D.D. 
Mrs.  J.  W.  Sanborn. 
Miss  Ida  E.  Schaberg. 
Mrs.  E.  Strebeck. 

NEBRASKA: 
John  D.  Haskell. 
Mrs.  Haskell. 
Miss  Faith  Haskell. 
Miss  Julia  S.  Haskell. 
D.  Isaacs. 

Miss  Sarah  J.  Price. 
Chas.  Wayne  Ray. 
Miss  Mary  E.  Varek. 

NEW  HAMPSHIRE: 
Miss  Isabelle  H.  Fitz. 
Rev.  Virgil  V.  Johnson. 

NEW  JERSEY: 
Luther  B.  Adams. 
Miss  Mabel  G.  Bateman. 
Thomas  Clements. 
Mrs.  Augustus  Henkel. 
Mrs.  C.  B.  Reichert. 
H.  G.  Shaw. 
Wesley  Williams. 
IVIrs.  Williams. 
Henry  B.  Zimmerman. 

NEW  MEXICO: 
Miss  Marie  M.  Holt. 

OHIO: 

S.  R.  Badgley. 

Rev.  C.  Colder,  Ph.D. 

Mrs.  Colder. 

Walter  E.  Huenfeld. 

Mrs.  Ada  H.  Jenkins. 

Miss  Louise  E.  Jones. 

Rev.  Carl  B.  Koch. 

Dr.  Mary  B.  LeBrate. 

Mrs.  Will  M.  Leiby. 

B.  J.  Looniis. 

Charles  Mayer. 

Mrs.  Mayer. 

Peter  McLaren. 

Miss  Ida  B.  McLaren. 

Miss  Mary  Metzger. 

E.  T.  Moore. 

Miss  Helen  A.  Munson. 

Miss  Martha  J.  Park. 

Jabez  H.  Roberts. 

Mrs.  Roberts. 

Miss  Laura  L.  Simmons. 

Miss  Daisy JM.  Smith. 

J.  W.  Sparks. 

Mrs.  Sparks. 

Mrs.  E.  M.  Sperry. 

Frank  Staley. 

Mrs.  Olive  L.  Welch. 

Martha  Wood. 


OKLAHOMA: 
J.  H.  BolLnger. 


407 


List  of  Delegates 


Mrs.  Bolinger. 

Dr.  L.  Haynes  Buxton. 

Mrs.  Buxton. 

Miss  Gertrude  Buxton. 

R.  R.  Cobb. 

Dr.  W.  E.  Dicken. 

Mrs.  Dicken. 

W.  M.  Jett. 

OREGON: 

Mrs.  S.  C.  Armitage. 
Charles  H.  Foster. 
Miss  Mabel  C.  Hurley. 
Miss  Bessie  K.  Luckey. 
Miss  Matilda  C.  Weiss.    . 

PENNSYLVANIA: 

Rev.  Chas.  S.  Albert,  D.D. 

Rev.  B.  F.  Alleman,  D.D. 

Dr.  Geo.  W.  Bailey. 

Mrs.  Bailey. 

Miss  Grace  L.  Bailey. 

Miss  Anna  M.  Bailey. 

Mrs.  Layyah  Barakat. 

Dr.  C.  R.  Blackall. 

Mrs.  Blackall. 

Mrs.  S.  J.  Brice. 

Miss  Lide  A.  Busher. 

Prof.  James  Carter. 

Mrs.  Carter. 

Miss  Bessie  E.  Chappelle. 

Arthur  Chiarmi. 

Mrs.  Robert  Clark. 

Samuel  M.  Clement, 

Mrs.  Clement. 

Joshua  Davis. 

Mrs.  Davis. 

Miss  Gertrude  Deppen. 

Joseph  T.  Dougherty. 

]VIrs.  Dougherty. 

Mrs.  K.  E.  Ent. 

Rev.  Frederic  W.  Farr,  S.  T.  D. 

Miss  I.  F.  Gifford. 

H.  J.  Heinz. 

Aurea  P.  Helmbold. 

Philip  E.  Howard. 

Mrs.  Howard. 

Master  Philip  E.  Howard,  Jr. 

Master  Henry  T.  Howard. 

Miss  Alice  G.  Howard. 

Miss  Margaret  Kelly. 

James  W.  Kinnear. 

Mrs.  Kinnear. 

James  Kinnear. 

Miss  Florence  B.  Koliler. 

Mrs.  J.  W.  Lake. 

W.  G.  Landes. 

Mrs.  Landes. 

I.  K.  Little. 

Miss  L.  Emma  Little. 

Myron  I.  Low. 

Mrs.  Low. 

Miss  Alice  S.  McCurdy. 

Mrs.  Frank  Maybin. 

H.  H.  Mercer. 

Wm.  Nease. 


Mrs.  Nease. 

Miss  Mabel  Norris. 

Harry  L.  Parkinson. 

Harry  G.  Samson. 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  S.  Samson. 

Rev.  Ambrose  M.  Schmidt. 

Prof.  Ernest  A.  Smith,  Ph.D. 

George  W.  Smith. 

Mrs.  Smith. 

Everett  P.  Smith. 

Miss  Olive  M.  Smith. 

Miss  Nettie  Smith. 

Miss  Mabel  Smith. 

John  L.  Smith. 

Mrs.  Smith. 

James  C.  Smith. 

Levi  Smith. 

Mrs.  Smith. 

Miss  A.  M.  Smuller. 

Pres.  J.  S.  Stahr,  D.D. 

F.  A.  StuU. 

Allan  Sutherland. 

Rev.  R.  W.  Thompson. 

Miss  Ella  A.  Tittle. 

J.  W.  Weaver. 

Rev.  C.  E.  WAhuT,  D.D. 

Harry  H.  Willock. 

Mrs.  Willock. 

Miss  Mariaima  Worden. 

RHODE  ISLAND: 

Miss  Blanche  E.  Ballou. 
Mrs.  Louisa  A.  Camp. 
Miss  Elizabeth  L.  F.  Cary. 
John  Fletcher. 
Ed.  H.  Hammond. 
Mrs.  Hammond. 
Frederick  W.  Hartwell. 
Mrs.  Hartwell. 
Miss  May  Hartwell. 
Mrs.  M.  E.  Martin. 
A.  B.  McCrillis. 
JVIrs.  McCriULs. 
Rev.  J.  L.  Peacock. 
IS'Irs.  Fannie  M.  Schrack. 
Miss  Mabel  Tourtellott. 
T.  W.  Waterman. 
Airs.  Waterman. 
Mrs.  Horatio  N.  Wilcox. 
W.  B.  WUson. 
Mrs.  Wilson. 

SOUTH  CAROLINA: 
Mrs.  Celeste  J.  Alexander. 
Miss  Ruth  T.  Alexander. 
Miss  Serena  D.  Alexander. 
Prof.  Jas.  W.  Eichelbergh,  Jr.  A.B. 

SOUTH  DAKOTA: 
Miss  Belle  L.  Pettigrew. 
Mrs.  J.  T.  Shotwell. 

TENNESSEE: 

Mrs.  V.  W.  Broughton. 
Prof.  J.  I.  D.  Hinds. 
Miss  Kate  Adel  Hinds. 


408 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 


Mrs.  Wm.  F.  Hodcre.  WASHINGTON: 

Mrs.  Robert  W.  Aiiller.  D.  A.  Gailey. 

Mrs.  Cora  P.  Powell.  'Mis.  GaDey. 


409 


List  of  Delegates 


Mrs.  Bolinger. 

Dr.  L.  Haynes  Buxton. 

Mrs     ■RiiYtnn 


Mrs.  Nease. 

Miss  Mabel  Norris. 

Harrv  T,.  Parkinson. 


AZORES  ISLANDS: 

Antonio  Rodrigues. 

ILLINOIS: 

Marion  Lawrance. 
Miss  Lois  Lawrance. 
H.  G.  Lawrance. 

MAINE: 

Mrs.  H.  E.  Lufkin. 

MICHIGAN: 

Dr.  Emma  Decker. 

NEW  YORK: 
Agnes  P.  Alder. 
A.  Stewart  Appleton. 
Mrs.  Florence  E.  Barber. 
Frank  L.  Brown. 
Mrs.  Frank  L.  Bro^vn. 
F.  Harold  Brown. 
H.  D.  Cochrane,  M.  D. 
Mrs.  Cochrane. 
Harrie  G.  Collins. 
Dr.  W.  A.  Duncan. 
John  G.  Dunlop. 
Miss  Sylvia  L.  Fox. 
Miss  Helena  M.  Ginn, 
Mrs.  Anna  F.  Grifl&th. 
Miss  Elsa  James. 
A.  R.  James. 
Mrs.  J.  F.  Knight. 
Miss  Majorie  Knight. 
George  A.  Lackey. 
Mrs.  Lackey. 
Rev.  John  Lemley,  D.  D. 
Mrs.  Emma  K.  Lemley. 
Rev.  H.  A.  Lewis, 
Miss  Elsie  H.  Lewis. 
Annie  T.  Logan. 
Antonio  Mangano. 
Rev.  J.  T.  McFarland,  D.  D. 


Mrs.  McFarland. 

Mrs.  R.  G.  MUler. 

Rev.  Charles  B.  Mitchell. 

Mrs.  Mitchell. 

Rev.  Robert  L.  Paddock. 

Miss  Mary  M.  Pitcher. 

Miss  M.  E.'Ranney. 

E.  S.  Ryder. 

Mrs.  Ryder. 

Miss  Flora  E.  Smith. 

Miss  Ella  Staley. 

Frank  G.  Thompson,  D.  D. 

Dr.  Andrew  C.  White. 

Mrs.  White. 

Rev.  B.  Frank  White. 

NORTH  CAROLINA: 
Hon.  N.  B.  Broughton, 
Rev.  C.  S.  Brown,  D.  D. 
Rev.  Charles  H.  King,  D.  D. 
Rev.  J.  C.  Massee. 
R.  B.  McRavey. 
James  E.  Shepard. 
George  W.  Watts. 
Mrs.  Watts. 

NORTH  DAKOTA: 

Miss  Margaret  Adam. 
A.  S.  Burrows. 
Mrs.  Burrows. 
John  Dinnie. 
Mrs.  Dinnie. 
Miss  Emma  L.  Forre. 
Rev.  John  Orchard. 
Miss  Eleanor  Towne. 
George  Worner. 

PENNSYLVANIA: 

Miss  Mary  Annetta  Smith. 

SWEDEN: 

Gust  Lagerstedt,  Heedikswall. 


Fukui,  not  Fakui,  the  Rev.  J. 
W.  I. 


ERRATA 

G.  Dunlop's  address  in  Japan,  pages  xi,  403. 
On  page  21,  and  m  Index,  W.  I.  Shattuck  instead  of  W.  T.;  on  page  21,  Miss 
Chappelle,  not  Miss  Chapelle;  page  23,  O.  N.  Chipman  instead  of  D.  W.;  Mrs.  Alice 
S.  McCurdy,  or  Mrs.  E.  E.,  instead  of  Miss,  in  Pennsylvania  delegates  list.  J.  B. 
Sanders,  not  Saunders,  in  Index.  Principal  Cotelingam,  instead  of  Principal  Cotel- 
ingham,  wherever  the  name  occurs;  Rev.  H.  Randel,  not  Randall,  Lookabill,  page  32 
and  in  Index.     Sulpicius,  not  Sulpicuis,  in  Index,  page  419. 


Wm.  JNease. 


iviiss  jvaie  A.aei  nmus. 


408 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 


Mrs.  Wm.  F.  Hodtre. 
Mrs.  Robert  W.  Miller. 
Mrs.  Cora  P.  Powell. 
Mrs.  W.  C.  Sharon. 
Miss  Cora  W.  Shepard. 
Rev.  J.  W.  Wardlow. 
Mrs.  Marion  C.  White. 
Miss  Jean  Wormeley. 

TEXAS: 

E.  L.  Johnson. 
Virginia  B.  MUler,  A.  B. 
Miss  Grace  Plants. 
Mrs.  Dora  Teakill. 

VERMONT: 

Rev.  E.  M.  Fuller. 
Rev.  W.  A.  Kinzie. 
Mrs.  Kinzie. 
M.  P.  Perley. 
jVIts.  Perley. 

Miss  B.  Katherine  Perlev. 
J.  Kent  Perley. 
Josephine  R.  Poland. 
Miss  Belle  C.  Stone. 
Miss  M.  J.  Wakefield. 

VIRGINIA: 

Miss  Annie  J.  Christian. 

Mrs.  Walter  Cone. 

J.  E.  Cooper. 

Rev.  T.  H.  Lacy,  D.D. 

R.  E.  Ma^iU. 

Airs.  Magill. 

D.  W.  Sims. 

Rev.  S.  D.  Skelton. 

Mary  Argyle  Taylor. 

Walter  B.  Yount. 


WASHINGTON: 
D.  A.  Gailey. 
Mrs.  Gailey. 
Miss  Eileen  Gailey. 
D.  S.  Johnston. 
Rev.  John  Lewtas. 
Rev.  W.  C.  Merritt. 
Mrs.  Merritt. 

WEST  VIRGINIA: 
Miss  Pattie  Campbell. 
W.  A.  Cablish. 
A.  J.  Clarke. 
Mrs.  Clarke. 

Miss  Martha  V.  Graham. 
T.  Marcellus  Marshall. 
W.  C.  B.  Moore. 
L.  W.  NuttaU. 
Mrs.  Nuttall. 
Robert  D.  Peebles. 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  F.  Peebles. 
Miss  Eva  Saunders. 
Miss  Lucy  Smith. 

WISCONSIN: 

Mrs.  D.  B.  Bennett. 
Rev.  John  K.  Fowler. 
Mrs.  Fowler. 

Miss  Katherine  M.  Fowler. 
Mrs.  E.  M.  Woodward. 

WALES: 

J.  O.  Davies,  Barry. 

WEST  AFRICA: 

Miss  A.  Akin,  Taiama. 
Miss  M.  Eaton,  Taiama. 

WEST  INDIES: 

Rev.  Dr.  W.  Scott  Whittier,  Port  of 
Spain. 


MISS   ANNIE  J.  STEWART, 
Official  Stenographer. 


409 


•Report  of  the  Enrolment  Committee 

W.   B.   WILSON,    RHODE  ISLAND,    U.S.A.,   CHAIRMAN. 

The  following  countries  and  divisions,  37  in  all,  were 
represented  in  the  convention  by  delegates  who  signed 
enrolment  cards : 


Argentine  Republic 2 

Australia 3 

Austria 2 

Belgium i 

Bulgaria 4 

Canada 42 

Congo  Free  State     .....  i 

Denmark 7 

England 117 

Egypt       7 

Finland 2 

France     4 

Germany 18 

Greece 1 

Hungary 14 

India 15 

Ireland 6 

Isle  of  Man i 


Italy 


148 


Mexico 2 

Japan       6 

North  Africa i 

Norway 2 

Palestine 7 

Poland 3 

Scotland 39 

South  Africa 3 

Spain I 

Sweden 4 

Switzerland 10 

Syria 4 

Turkey  in  Asia      2 

Turkey  in  Europe 3 

United  States 625 

Wales 8 

West  Africa 2 

West  Indies i 


Number  of  delegates  enrolled 1,118 


OFFICIAL   RELATION    OF   THE   ENROLLED    DELEGATES 
TO  THE  SUNDAY-SCHOOL 


Pastors 145 

Superintendent.^ 136 

Other  Officers 92 

Teachers ,    .    .  394 

Scholars      144 

Unstated 304 

Officers  in  organized  work  : 
World K 


International 
National     .    . 


Lesson  Committee 
1.  B.  R.  A. 


State  or  Provincial       46 

County 
District 
City 


...  24 

...  15 

...  4 

Township 3 


Less  Duplicates 


57  delegates  registered  as  missionaries. 
Several  missionaries  present  did  not  register. 

410 


1.360 
242 

1,118 


Report  of  the  Enrolment  Committee 

The  following  religious    denominations,   fifty-three 
in  all,  were  represented  among  the  enrolled  delegates: 


African  Methodist  Episcopal  .  i 
African    Methodist    Episcopal 

Zion I 

Baptist 20I 

Brethren i 

Canadian  Methodist       .    .    .    .  ii 

Christian 17 

Christian    Mission    Church   of 

Belgium i 

Christian  Reformed i 

Christian  Scientist i 

Church  of  Christ 3 

Church  of  England 24 

Church  of  God i 

Church  of  Ireland i 

Congregational 124 

Disciples  of  Christ 12 

Dunker 1 

English  Lutheran 3 

Episcopalian 22 

Estab.  Church  of  Scotland    .    .  2 

Evangelical 19 

Evangelical  Association     ...  5 

Evangelical  Christian      ....  i 

Evangelical  Lutheran     ....  5 

Free  Baptist 2 

Free  Church  of  Dt-nmark  .    .    .  i 

Free  Methodist 3 

Friends 9 

German  Reformed 6 

Total  enrolled 


Independent      4 

Lutheran 12 

Mennonites 2 

Methodist  Episcopal 270 

Methodist  Episcopal,  South     .  16 

Methodist  New  Connection  .    .  2 

Methodist  Protestant i 

National    Church    of  Switzer- 
land    2 

Original  Secession  Church    of 

.Scotland      5 

"People's     Church     of    the 

World" I 

Presbyterian 154 

Reformed 6 

Reformed  Church  of  France     .  4 

Roman  Catholic i 

Seventh  Day  Adventist  ....  4 

Swedisli  Free i 

United  Brethren       2 

United  Bretliren  in  Clirist  .    .    .  3 

United  Evangelical i 

United  Free 15 

United  Presbyterian 26 

Unitarian 3 

Universalist 3 

Waldensian 49 

Wesleyan 25 

Unstated 27 

delegates 1,118 


MILES  TRAVELED  BY  THE  DELEGATES 


TOTAL  AVERAGE 

United  States  of  America 8,049,490  12,879 

England ,    .      278,660  2,382 

Italy "■■■■62,557  539-1- 

A\\  Other  Countries ,     ...  1,082,800  4-749 

Total  Mileage 9.473-507 

Average  mileage  per  delegate,  outside  of  Rome  ....  8,747-!- 

*  Three  do  not  report  distance,  and  places  were  not  located.  32  delegates  from 
Rome  (no  mileage)  not  included  in  the  above  statement. 

4" 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 

REPRESENTATION  BY  STATES  FROM  THE  UNITED 
STATES  OF  AMERICA 


.    .         8 

Arkansas 2 

California 

•     .       ^i 

Colorado      .... 

[2 

Connecticut     .        ... 
District  of  Columbia     .    . 
Florida      

.    .    .     8 
...    3 

.    6 

Hawaii 

Illinois 

...    5 
71 

Indiana 

.    .    .    8 

Iowa      

Kansas 

.    .    •    7 

Kentucky 20 

Louisiana 7 

Maine 5 

Maryland 4 

Massachusetts 53 

Michigan 42 

Minnesota 17 

Mississippi i 

Missouri 12 


Nebraska 8 

New  Hampshire 2 

New  Jersey      7 

New  Mexico i 

New  York 44 

North  Carolina 8 

North  Dakota 9 

Ohio       33 

Oklahoma 9 

Oregon      5 

Pennsylvania 76 

Rhode  Island 19 

South  Carolin; 
South  Dakota 
Tennessee     . 
Te.xas     .    .    . 
Vermont    .    . 
Virginia 


Washington 7 

West  Virginia 15 

Wisconsin 5 

Unstated 3 


Total 625 


412 


Index 


Adana,  report  of  Sunday  -school  work 
in,  326 

Adeney,  Rev.  J.  H.,  report  from  Rou- 
mania,  212. 

Africa,  lecture  on  Romanic,  by  Bishop 
Hartzell,  14;  geographical  comparison 
with  other  countries,  119;  great  possi- 
bilities of,  120;  challenge  to  Christian 
Church,.  119;  last  continent  to  be 
reached  by  Christian  Civilization,  122; 
native  peoples  "less favored"  not  "in- 
ferior" races,  121;  report  of  Sunday- 
school  work  in,  118;  resources  of,  119. 

Agreement,  need  of  discovering  points 
of,  in  denominations,  183. 

Ahluwalia,  Sir  Hamam  Singh,  K.  C. 
I.  E.,  ex-President  India  Simday 
School  Union,  270. 

Aintab,  Sunday-school  work  in,  327. 

Albina,  A.  P.,  speaking  on  Italy,  37. 

Albricias,  Pastor  Francisco,  Report  of 
Work  in  Spain,  316. 

Alfred  the  Great,  mentioned,  209. 

Algiers,  arrival  of  Neckar  at,  32;  beggars 
in,  33;  Mission  Band,  34;  mission 
meeting  in,  34;  Museum,  33;  addresses 
on  Neckar,  32;  offering  for,  missions, 
16,  17;  Romanic  Party's  visit,  14; 
story  of  Geronimo,  33;  visit  to  Arab 
quarter,  36;  women  at  work,  35. 

American  Bible  Society  in  Bulgaria,  213. 

American  Board  in  Turkey,  324;  sending 
missionaries  to  Bulgaria,  217. 

Anet,  Rev.  H.,  report  from  Belgium,  201. 

Antigua  Sunday  School  Association,  338. 

Appeal  of  Christ  for  child,  60. 

Appii  Forum,  location  of,  79. 

Arab  Quarter,  visit  to,  in  Algiers,  36. 

Arabic,  Lesson  helps  in,  309. 

Arakawa,  Prof.,  treasurer  of  Japan 
Sunday  School  Association,  276. 

Archibald,  George  H.,  Primary  work  in 
Great  Britain,  256. 

"Architect  of  the  Amphitheatre,  The," 
Poem  by  Rev.  Walter  J.  Mathams, 
350. 

"Arise,  Let  Us  Go  Hence,"  address  by 
Rev.  Dr.  B.  B.  Tyler,  346. 

Aristarchus  with  Paul,  88. 

Assiut,  Sunday-school  at,  229. 

Association, International  Sunday  School, 
money  raised  for,  on  Romanic,  17. 

Astor  House,  Shanghai,  beginning  of 
Sunday  School  organization  in,  221. 

Atheism,  in  France,  240. 

Austria,  religious  statistics  in,  199; 
report  by  Prof.  J.  G.  Haberl,  199; 
association  organized,  200;  low  stand- 
ard of  religious  instruction,  200. 


Azores,  description  of,  24;  gardens  in 
25;  Neckar  landing  at,  23,  Romanic 
at,  12;  travel  talks  on  board  Neckar, 


Bailey,  Dr.  Geo.  W,  leading  prayer- 
meeting  on  Neckar,  21;  going  ashore 
at  Ponta  Delgada,  24;  speaking  in 
Ponta  Delgada,  25;  speaking  on 
organized  work,  38;  mentioned,  46, 
274;  closing  message  by,  342. 

Bailey,  Miss  Grace  L.,  mentioned,  22, 
44. 

Ballantyne,  Mr.  D.,  responds  for  Scot- 
land, 42. 

Baptist  Missionary  Society  mentioned, 
168. 

Baptists,  work  of,  in  Poland,  312;  in 
Russia,  313. 

Baraca  classes  among  the  Negroes,  303. 

Barak  at,  Mrs.  Layyah,  Neckar  address 
on  Palm  Tree,  23;  mentioned,  22. 

Basche,  Pastor,  mentione  1,  39,  4^. 

Basilica,  scene  of  Paul's  trial,  91. 

Beggars  in  Algiers,  33. 

Belad,  negro  convert  in  Algiers,  35. 

Belgium,  report  from,  201;  Sunday- 
school  enrolment  in,  201;  difficulties 
in  the  work,  201;  character  of  teachers 
in,  202;  week  day  "Sunday-schools," 
202;  increase  in  Sunday-school,  203; 
persecutions  in,  203. 

Belsey,  F.  F.,  mentioned,  50;  report  of 
Sunday-school  work  in  Great  Britain, 
2  55- 

Berlin,  Union  formed  in,  196. 

Beurlay,  growth  of  Christian  work  in, 
240. 

Bible  Among  the  Bulgarians,  article  by 
Rev.  John  G.  Setchanoff,  215. 

Bible  Institutes,  in  Great  Britain,  2  56f. 

Bible,  shops  in  North  Africa,  198;  sale 
of,  in  Bulgaria,  213,  217;  letter  about, 
from  Bulgarian  young  men,  214; 
proscribed  in  Greece,  jn  Modern 
Greek,  252;  greatest  missionary  book, 
348. 

Bieler,  Madame,  report  of  work  in 
!■  ranee,  237. 

Bieler,  the  Rev.  Charles,  report  on 
France,  233. 

Bingham,  the  Rev.  Hiram,  first  mission- 
ary to  Hawaii,  333. 

Birthday  Recognition  on  Neckar,  220. 

Bishops,  once  many  in  North  Africa, 
199. 

Blackall,  Mrs.  C.  R.,  mentioned,  49; 
arranging  Exposition  material,  77. 


413 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 


Blackall,    Rev.  Dr.    C.    R.,  on    Divine 

Leadings  in  Exposition  Enterprise,  14; 
article  on  "The  Sunday  School 
Exposition,"  76;  presenting  Home 
Department  Exhibits  to  Italy,  135. 

Blake,  Allen  W.,  in  charge  of  athletic 
games  on  Neckar,  32. 

Bloesch,  Dr.,  founder  of  Kinder-Sonn- 
tagsblatt,  323. 

Board  carriers  illustrating  unity,  182. 

Bohemia,  report  from,  by  the  Rev.  Dr. 
A.  W.  Clark,  204;  number  of  Sunday- 
schools  in,  204;  prejudice  against 
Sunday-school  in,  204;  Home  Depart- 
ment incident  in,  205;  results  of  work 
in,  205;  American  missionaries  coming 
to,  208;  how  other  countries  can  help, 
208;  Home  Department  in,  208; 
Sunday-school  paper  in,  208;  question 
papers  in,  208. 

Bohemia  and  Moravia,  report  from,  by 
Rev.  J.  S.  Porter,  206;  religious  statis- 
tics in,  207. 

Bonds  of  Paul,  87. 

Bonner,  Carey,  mentioned,  46,  50; 
response  for  Great  Britain,  47;  quoted 
on  early  use  of  Christian  hymns,  133; 
worship  leader  of  Convention,  390. 

Bonnie  Brier  Bush,  quoted,  130  f. 

Booddhism  supplanted  by  Christianity  in 
Japan,  287. 

Book,  the  beggar's  name  in  missionary's, 

33-  ,    . 

Booth,  General,  m  Japan,  287. 

Boris  I.     accepting  Christianity,  209. 

Boston  Daily  Globe,  quoted,  i. 

Boys'  Brigade  in  Denmark,  226. 

Braithwaite,  the  Rev.  E.  E.,  mentioned, 
51;  preaching  on  Neckar,  21;  closing 
words  by,  52. 

Breadth  of  Church,  illustrated,  by  F.  B. 
Meyer,  181. 

Briand,  criticism  of  Francis  de  Pres- 
sensse,  242f. 

British  and  Foreign  Bible  Soceity  in 
Greece,  253;  in  Hungary,  263. 

British  Guiana  Sunday  School  Associa- 
tion, 338. 

Brown,  Frank  L.,  quoted  on  securing 
missionary  for  Levant,  48;  in  China, 
220;  mentioned,  335;  report  on  Japan. 
274;  report  on  Korea,  293. 

Bryner,  Mrs.  Mary  Foster,  mentioned, 
11;  address  on  Foundation  Truths 
for  Children,  141;  tours  in  Mexico, 
298. 

Budapest,  Sunday-schools  in,  262. 

Bugle  call  on  Romanic,  11. 

Bulgaria,  report  from,  by  John  G. 
Setchanoff,  209;  history  of,  209; 
modern,  conditions  in,  210;  religious 
conditions  in,  210;  need  for  Sunday- 
schools  not  yet  realized,  211;  lack  of 
Sunday-school  teachers  in,  212;  new 
Sunday-schools  in,  213;  letter  from 
young  men  about  Bible,  214;  need  of 


hymn  books  in,  215;  inhabitants  con- 
verted to  Christianity,  216;  devastated 
by  Turks,  216;  helped  by  missionaries 
from  America,  216;  sending^  mission- 
aries, 216;  evangelical  association  in, 
217;  sale  of  Bible  in,  213,  217;  need  for 
Sunday  School  Union,  2 18. 

Burges,  the  Rev.  Richard,  at  China  Sun- 
day School  Conference,  221;  report  on 
India,  266. 

Burt,  Bishop,  words  of  welcome,  46; 
mentioned  by  Dr.  Duncan,  134. 

Butler,  Rev.  John  W.,  mentioned,  299. 

Byrd,  Rev.  J.  E.,  mentioned,  26. 


Cable  messages  to  Convention,  398. 

Call  for  Convention,  6-7. 

Campbell,  J.  K.,  mentioned,  21. 

"Convention  Itself,  The,"  38. 

Capel,  Rev.  E.  T.,  mentioned,  336. 

Capen,  Dr.  Samuel  B.,  of  Boston  Recep- 
tion Committee,  2. 

Gary,  Miss  E.  L.  F.,  mentioned,  11. 

Catacombs  of  Domatilla,  visit  to,  53; 
historical  testimony  of  inscriptions,  91. 

Central  American  missions,  need  of 
visitation  to,  337. 

Central  Turkey  Mission,  work  of,  324. 

Chappelle,  Miss  Bessie  E.,  mentioned, 
21. 

Character-building,  work  of  organized 
Sunday-school,  156. 

Child  and  Children,  Christ's  estimate, 
59;  disciples  preventing  the,  61; 
revealed  by  the  Kingdom,  66;  belong- 
ing to  Christ,  68;  need  of  our  absolute 
devotion  to,  69;  truths  to  be  made 
plain  to,  142;  Bible  texts  for  youngest, 
143;  memory  work  for,  144;  periods 
of  childhood,  144;  need  of  training  in 
doing,  147;  work  done  by,  in  exhibit, 
146;  chiurch  regulations  concerning, 
in  Austria,  206;  the  key  to  India,  267. 
China,  the  Story  of  Organized  Sunday 
School  Work  in,"  by  Rev.  Frank  A. 
Smith,  218;  Missionary  Centenary 
Conference,  219;  Sunday-schools  of 
churches  in,  219;  Sunday-school 
secretary   authorized  for,   221. 

Chipman,  Rev.  O.  N.,  lecture  on  Azores, 
23. 

Christian  and  Missionary  Alliance  in 
Palestine,  311. 

Christian  Endeavor  Society,  aid  to 
Sunday-school  work  in  Italy,  266. 

Christians,  scapegoat  of  Nero's  crime, 
Tacitus  quoted,  loi. 

Christie,  Rev.  Dr.  Thomas  D.,  men- 
tioned, 48;  report  of  work  in  Turkey, 
324. 

Church,  Evangelical,  persecuted  by 
Greek  Church,  252. 

Church  Missionary  Society,  work  of,  in 
Palestine,  210, 


414 


Index 


Claim   of   the   Child,   The,  sermon  by 

G.  Campbell  Morgan,  54. 
Clark,   Rev.   Dr.   A.   W.,   report   from 

Bohemia,  204. 
Clark,    Rev.    Joseph,    mentioned,    51; 

report  on  Congo  Free  State,  222. 
Clarke,  Dr.  N.  Walling,  mentioned,  46, 

53;    address   on   Significance    of    the 

Convention,    340;    story   of   laborers, 

341- 
Cleckler,  Rev.  R.  C,  lecture  on  Azores, 

23- 

Clichy,  incident  of  mission  work,  carried 
on  by  Pastor  Lorriaux,  241. 

"Closing  Message,  A,"  by  Dr.  Geo. 
W.  Bailey,  342. 

Coelian  Hill,  Camp  on,  Paul  probably 
conducted  to,  81. 

Coliseum,  service  held  in,  50. 

Committee,  International  Lesson, 
recommending  graded  system,  5. 

Congo  Free  State,  report  from,  222; 
former  conditions  in  the,  222;  hin- 
drances to  work,  223;  present  encour- 
agements, 224;  rubber  business,  224. 

Congregational  Churches  in  Bohemia, 
205. 

Conscience,  the  Protestant,  in  France, 
243-     . 

Constantme,  George,  his  work  m  Greece, 
254- 

Conte,  the  Rev.  Gaetano,  words  of,  47. 

Continental  Sunday  School  Mission, 
appointing  traveling  superintendent, 
196;  scope  of  work  to-day,  196;  work 
of,  258. 

Cook,  Rev.  Jean  Paul,  mentioned,  15. 

Cook,  Paul,  formed  French  Sunday 
School  Society  in  1852,  238;  founded 
Journal  des  E coles  du  Dimanche  de 
France,  238  f. 

Cook,  Rev.  S.  Janlinus,  mentioned, 
195- 

Cooksey,  Rev.  Joseph  J.,  article  on 
North  Africa,  19. 

Coresan,  Mr.,  mentioned,  320. 

Cotelingam,  Principal,  mentioned,  39; 
greetings  from  India,  42;  presents  re- 
port of  Dr.  Burges  on  India,  266. 

Cradle  Roll,  the  teaching  of  the,  145; 
in  Great  Britain,  258. 

Crete  Sunday-schools  for  refugees,  254. 

Cuendet,  Rev.  ^Ir.,  seeing  Algiers  with, 
33- 

Cyril,  mentioned,  209. 

Davis,  Geo.  T.  B.,  on  individual  work, 
23;  leading  prayer-meeting,  37. 

Dearing,  the  Rev.  John  L.,  treasurer 
Japan  Sunday  School  Association, 
276. 

Death  of  steerage  passenger,  26. 

Delegates,  List  of,  400. 

Demas,  with  Paul,  89. 

Denain,  France,  Sunday-school  organ- 
ized in,  235. 


Denmark,  report  of  Sunday-school  work 
in,  225. 

Dias,  Antonio  Patrocino,  missionary  to 
Azores,  25. 

"Do  Without  Bags"  in  Rye  Lane  Sun- 
day-school, 172. 

Domatilla,  visit  to  catacombs  of,  52. 

Domus  Transitoria,  house  of  Nero,  91. 

Draper,  Lieutenant-Governor,  reception 
by,  I. 

Drive  to  Lenia,  29. 

Duncan,  Dr.  W.  A.,  address  by,  127; 
address  at  Italian  and  German  Con- 
ferences, 131;  resolutions  delivered 
to,  by  Italian  Conference,  136;  visiting 
Bohemia,  208. 

Dunlop,  Rev.  J.  G.,  mentioned,  22; 
address  on  Japan,  26;  address  on 
Gibraltar,  27;  secretary  of  Japan 
Sunday  School  Association,  277; 
Report  of  work  in  Korea,  288. 

Eastern  Turkey  Mission,  work  of,  324. 
Edgell   Printing   Company,   mentioned, 

77- 
Edwards,    Thomas,   European    Sunday 

School  Missionary,  196. 
Eggleston,   Edward,   mentioned,  4. 
Egypt     evangelized     by     Mark,     228; 

report  of  Sunday-school  work  in,  228. 
Elliot,  General,  mentioned,  28. 
Enrolment   Committee,  report  of,  410, 

411,  412. 
Entertainment  on  Neckar,  23. 
Epaphras,  with  Paul,  88. 
Epaphroditus,  with  Paul,  88. 
Estey,  Charles  L.,  leading  song-service 

in  Boston,  3. 
"Eternal  City,"  lecture  by  Prof.  Price, 

14. 
European    Turkey    Mission,    work    of, 

324- 
Exposition  enterprise.  Divine  Leadings 

in,   by   Dr.    Blackall,    14;    free   from 

commercialism,   76;   material   in,   77; 

distribution  of  material   at   close  of, 

78;  mentioned,  333. 

Faroe  Islands,  the  Sunday-school  in, 

227. 
Fairbanks,  Chas.  W.,  mentioned,  274. 
Fetzer,  J.  G.,  report  on  Germany,  243f. 
Filippini,    Prof.     Cav.    Ernesto,    men- 
tioned,   40,    50;    report    of   work    in 

Italy,  264. 
Fireen,     Carlo    M.,    Secretary    Italian 

Conference,  136. 
Ford  Hall,  reception  and  banquet  in,  2. 
Forgacs,   Rev.   G3nila,   report  of    work 

in  Hungary,  259. 
Foster,  E.  C,  mentioned,  11. 
Foster,  Rev.  J.  F.,  lectiu-e  on  Madeira, 

14. 
Foster,  the  Hon.  John  W.,  mentioned, 

274. 


415 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 


Foundation  Truths  for  Children,  address 
by  Mrs.  Bryner,  141. 

France,  total  of  Protestant  Sunday- 
schools  in,  195;  report  of  Sunday- 
school  work  in,  233. 

Fraser,  Sir  Andrew,  H.  L.,  M.  A., 
I.  C.  S.,  K.  C.  S.  I.,  Lieutenant 
Governor  of  Bengal,  President  of 
India  Sunday  School  Union,  270. 

Frederick,  Emperor,  story  about  the 
three  Kingdoms,  66. 

French,  W.  G.,  mentioned,  17. 

Free  churches  in  Germany,  all  engaged 
in  Sunday-school  work,  244. 

Funchal,  Romanic  in  Bay  of,  13. 

Fuller,  Rev.  E.  M.,  mentioned,  11. 

Gamewell,  Dr.,  mentioned,  218. 

Ganong,  Rev.  J.  B.,  speaking  in  Ponta 
Delgada,  25;  speaking  on  organized 
work,  38. 

Garibaldi,  Miss  Italia,  words  of,  45. 

Genoa  and  Pisa,  lectiu-e  by  Rev.  S.  T. 
Morris,  14. 

Genoa,  Romanic  arriving  at,  18. 

Germany,  interest  of  Queen  in  Simday- 
schools  of,  195;  report  of  Sunday- 
school  work  in,  243;  difficulties  in 
way  of  Sunday-school  work  in,  245; 
how  Sunday-school  work  can  be 
promoted,  246. 

Geronimo,  story  of,  33. 

Gettysberg,  incident  at,  cited  by  A.W. 
Clark,  206. 

Gibraltar,  lecture  by  Principal  Rexford, 
14;  visit  of  Romanic  party,  14; 
missionary  meeting,  Romanic  party, 
14;  Neckar  addresses  on,  27;  Neckar 
landing  at  27,  28;  Rt.  Rev.  .Lord 
Bishop,  mentioned,  29;  description 
of,  27-29;  missions  for  sailors  and 
soldiers,  29;  talk  with  Robert  Vining, 
30;  the  levanter  over  the  Rock,  30. 

Gifford,  Rev.  Dr.  O.  P.,  at  Boston 
banquet,  2. 

Giving,  increase  of,  needed  in  the  Sun- 
day-school, 153. 

Golder,  Rev.  Dr.  C,  mentioned,  22. 

Goucher,  Rev.  J.  F.,  chairman  China 
Organization  Committee,  220. 

Govett,  Very  Rev.  D.  S.,  mentioned,  30. 

Gray,  Dr.  J.  Gordon,  mentioned,  48; 
lectures  on  "The  Footsteps  of  Paul 
in  Rome,"  79;  mentioned,  134. 

"Great  Apostle,  The,"  sermon  by 
G.  Campbell  Morgan,  156.     _ 

Great  Britain,  missionary  contributions 
in,  168;  report  of  work  in,  2S5ff; 
large  perecntage  of  loss  of  Sunday- 
school  members  from,  12-19,  256; 
primary  work  in,  256;  organized 
work  in,  257;  teacher-training  in,  257; 
the  I.  B.  R.  A.  in,  257;  the  Home 
Department  in,  258;  Cradle  Roll  in, 
258;  has  one  Sunday-school  mis- 
sionary in  India,  274. 


Greece,  report  of  Sunday-school  work 
in,  250;  peculiar  difficulties  of  gospel 
work  in,  250;  Circulation  of  Bible  in 
modern  Greek  forbidden,  252;  con- 
servatism of  Greek  Church,  251;  re- 
ligious persecution,  252;  Evangelical 
movement  inaugurated  by  Dr.  Kalo- 
pothakis,  254. 

Green,  Rev.  Samuel,  at  China  Sunday 
School  Conference,  221. 

Greene,  Rev.  D.  C.,  mentioned,  277. 

Greenland,  report  of  Sunday-school 
work  in,  227. 

Griscom,  Ambassador,  reception  by,  39; 
address  of,  43. 

Growth,  moral,  by  culture,  72. 

"  Guest-house,"  Paul  located  in,  82. 

Haberl,  Prof.  J.  G.,  report  from  Aus- 
tria, 199. 

Hail,  Rev.  Dr.  A.  D.,  mentioned,   39; 

responds  to  greetings  for  Japan,  41. 

Hamburg,  Union  formed  in,  196. 

Hanisch,  Herr  John,  Report  of  work  in 
Russia,  311. 

Hanna,  Rev.  Moawad,  speaks  on 
Egypt,  228. 

Harrassowitz,  Captain,  appreciation  of, 
38. 

Hartshorn,  W.  N.,  Boston  reception,  2; 
closing  Boston  meeting,  8;  men- 
tioned, 50;  Member  of  Committee  on 
World's  Sunday  School  Visitation, 
192;  mentioned,  274,  304;  report  on 
work  in  United  States,  330. 

Hartzell,  Bishop  and  Mrs,  not  found 
at  Funchal,  13;  Bishop  H.  lectures 
on  Romanic  on  Africa,  14;  Bishop  H. 
at  Gibraltar,  14;  Bishop  and  Mrs.  H., 
securing  money  for  Algiers,  17; 
Bishop  H.,  mentioned,  50,  51;  chair- 
man of  Committee  to  report  on 
World's  Sunday  School  Visitation, 
192. 

Haskell,  John  D.,  at  Boston  reception,  2. 

Hazard,  Dr.  M.  C,  Home  Department 
History  commended,  135. 

Hawaii,  report  of  work  in,  334. 

Heinz,  H.  J.,  at  Boston  Reception,  i;  on 
"W  hat  One  State  is  Doing,"  8;  men- 
tioned, 49;  member  of  committee  on 
World's  Sunday-school  Visitation,  192; 
chairman  of  Japan  Committee,  274. 

Hemphill,  Prof.  Chas.  R.,  in  Tremont 
Temple  meeting,  3. 

Henson,  Rev.  Dr.  P.  S.,  in  Tremont 
Temple  meeting,  3. 

Herb,  Mr.  mentioned,  312. 

Hill,  Captain  and  Mrs.  C.  H.,  men- 
tioned, 29. 

Hinds,  Prof.  J.  I.  D.,  lecture  on  Naples, 
14. 

Hiraiwa,  Dr.,  mentioned,  278. 

Hired  house,  Paul  choosing  location  of, 
83;  Philippian  epistle  written  from, 
87. 


416 


Index 


Holland,  Sunday-school  idea  in,  195. 

Holway,  Rev.  Theodore  T.,  report  from 
Bulgaria,  209. 

Home  Class,  Mosaic,  beginnings  of,  131; 
apostolic  use  of,  132;  as  helps  in 
solving  Italian  problems,  134. 

Home  Department,  purpose  of,  127; 
beginnings  of,  127;  boundaries  of,  127; 
literature,  128;  reports  from  the 
field,  128;  column  in  Italian  Sunday- 
school  paper,  135;  resolutions  pre- 
sented by  Italian  Conference  to 
Dr.  W.  A.  Duncan,  136;  in  Japan, 
282;  work  in  Great  Britain,  258. 

Houston,  Dr.,  missionary  to  Greece, 
254- 

Howard,  Miss  Bertha  L.,  mentioned, 
21. 

Howard,  Philip  E.,  article  on  Neckar 
Cruise,  20;  article  on  Convention 
Itself,  38. 

Hulbert,  Homer  B.,  mentioned,  297. 

Hungary,  report  of  work  in,  259;  difS- 
culties,  260;  development,  261;  rapid 
progress  of  home  missions  in,  262; 
British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society, 
262;  National  Bible  Society  of  Scot- 
land, 263;  Religious  Tract  Society, 
263;  need  of  Sunday-school  mis- 
sionary, 264. 

Hurlbut's  lesson  helps  presented  to 
Italians,  135. 

Ibrahim,  Rev,  Ishak,  report  on  Egypt, 

230f. 

Ignorance  barrier  to  work  in  Austria, 
200. 

India,  International  Lessons  in,  4; 
report  of  work  in,  266;  extent,  popu- 
lation, and  religions,  266;  children 
key  to  evangelizing,  267;  early  mis- 
sionary history,  268;  efficient  officers 
source  of  strong  Sunday-school  work 
in,  269;  Sunday  School  Union,  founded 
by  Dr.  T.  J.  Scott,  269;  teacher- 
training,  272;  Sunday-school  litera- 
ture, 271;  self  denial  of  children, 
271. 

Institute,  Gibraltar's  Soldiers,  29;  King 
Edward's  Soldiers  and  Sailors,  29. 

Instruction  in  Bible  mark  of  organized 
school,  153. 

"International  Association  of  North  and 
South  America  and  adjacent  Islands," 
337- 

International  Bible  Reading  Association, 
work  of,  49;  article  by  Charles  Waters, 
184;  origm,  185;  as  ally  of  Bible 
Societies,  186;  scope,  187;  basis,  187; 
in  Great  Britain,  257;  auxiliary  to 
Sunday-school  work  in  Italy,  266;  in 
Russia,  313. 

International  Festival  of  Praise,  Order 
of  Service  for,  390. 

International  Lessons  used  in  China, 
218;   in  Denmark,  226. 


Invitation  needed  in  organized  Sunday- 
school,  150. 

Italy,  beginning  of  Sunday-schools  in, 
19s;  report  of  work,  264;  persecution, 
266;  the  work  of  the  I.  B.  R.  A.,  266; 
the  Christian  Endeavor  Society,  266. 

Jacobs,   B.   F.,   mentioned,   4. 

Jalla,  Odoardo,  quoted  by  W.  A.  Dun- 
can, 134. 

Japan  Sunday  School  Association,  49; 
first  convention  of,  287;  report  on, 
by  Frank  L.  Brown,  274;  Home 
Department,  282;  teacher-training, 
282;  Booddhist  priests  imitating 
Christian  methods,  285;  Young  Mens 
Christian    Association,    286. 

Jesus,  Italian  children's  idea  of,  341. 

Jewish  quarter  in  Rome,  82. 

Johnson,  Rev.  Gust.  F.,  speaking  on 
Neckar,  26. 

Journal  des  Ecoles  du  Dimanche  de 
France,  238. 

Julius,  Paul  in  charge  of,  79,  81. 

Justus,  with  Paul,  87. 

Kabyles,  Bible  in  language  of,  32. 

Kaiser,  Pastor,  on  Sunday-school  work 
in  Germany,  247. 

Kalopothakis,  Rev.  Demetrius,  reports 
Sunday-school  work  in  Greece,  250. 

Kalopothakis,  Dr.  M.  D.,  organized  Sun- 
day-schools for  Cretan  refugees,  254; 
depositary  for  funds  for  Macedonia, 
255- 

Kena,  Egypt,  Church  at,  largest  con- 
tributor per  member  in  U.  P.  denomi- 
nation, 229f. 

King  of  Italy,  Telegram  to,  40;  response 
of,  to  telegram  from  Convention,  40. 

King,  Dr.  Jonas,  his  work  in.  Greece, 
254- 

"Kings  Bags,  The"  in  Rye  Lane 
Sunday-school,  172. 

Kinnear,  James  W.,  article  on  Romanic 
Cruise,  9. 

Kohler,  Miss  Florence  B.,  mentioned,  21. 

Korea,  Report  of  Sunday-school  work 
in,  288;  growth  of  chruch,  291;  s 
Bible  Christians,  292;  Missionarie 
in,  293f;  Sunday-schools,  294;  educa" 
tion  carried  on  by  Christian  day- 
schools,  29s;  Commissioner  chosen 
to  begin  work  in,  342. 

Kosaki,  Rev.  H.,  Chairman  Educational 
and  Executive  Committees  Japan 
Sunday  School  Association,  276. 

Laborers,  Dr.  N.  Walling  Clark's  story 

of,  341. 
Lacey,  Rev.  W,  H.,  mentioned,  218. 
Lanciani,  Prof.,  on  question  of  site  of 

Paul's    hired    house,    83;    cited,    92; 

quoted   on   burning   of    Rome,    10 1; 

quoted    on    Mamertine   prison,    105; 

quoted  on  Paul's  tomb,  117. 


417 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 


Landes,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  G.,  mentioned, 
22;  at  Ponta  Delgada,  25;  mentioned, 

Laurriaux,  Madame,  philanthropic  work 
of,  among  children,  242. 

Lawrance,  Marion,  Boston  address  on 
organized  work,  7;  Romanic  party 
on  organized  work,_  17;  address, 
Sunday  School  Organized  for  Service, 
149;  member  of  Committee  on  World's 
Sunday-school  Visitation,   192. 

Lenia,  drive  to,  29. 

Lesson  Committee,  International,  enter- 
tained, 381;  list  of,  viii.;  meeting  of, 
376;  mentioned,  333;  first  organized, 
332. 

Lessons,  International,  Schauffler's  ad- 
dress on,  3;  genesis  of,  4;  in  India,  4; 
in  China,  219;  in  Korea,  296. 

Levant,  churches  in,  outgrowth  of  the 
Sunday-school,  327;  missionary  to  be 
provided  for  Northern,  342. 

Leyburn,  Dr.,  missionary  to  Greece,  254 

Library,  Sunday-school,  in  Japan,  2S0. 

Lights,  French  electric  mentioned,  32. 

List  of  Delegates,  400. 

Literature,  Sunday-school,  for  Europe, 
195- 

Lombard,  Alexander,  promotes  law  for 
Sunday  rest  in  France,  242. 

London  Jews'  Society,  schools  con- 
ducted by,  in  Palestine,  310. 

London,  little  child  in  street  of,  67. 

London  Sunday-school  Union,  sending 
missionary  to  Bohemia,  208;  in 
Sweden,  319. 

Lookabill,  Rev.  Randall,  speaking  on 
Algiers,  32. 

Love,  definitions  of,  71. 

Lucas,  the  Rev.  A.,  work  in  West  Indies, 
337,  338,  339- 

Luke,  with  Paul,  88. 

Lyon,  Rev.  D.  Willard,  mentioned,  219. 

Madeira,  calling  at,  13;  lecture  by  Rev. 
J.  F.  Foster,  14. 

Macedonia,  evangelization  of,  217; 
need  for  help  in,  255;  field  of  Euro- 
pean Turkey  Mission,  324. 

Maclaren,  Hon.  Justice,  mentioned, 
274. 

Mamertine  prison,  description  of,  104. 

Manual  of  Worship  presented  by  Com- 
mittee, 21. 

Marshall,  W.,  mentioned,  29. 

Mark,  with  Paul,  89. 

Marques,  Mrs.  J_.  D.,  Portuguese 
Secretary  Hawaii  Sunday  School 
Association,  335. 

Marucchi,  Prof.,  quoted  on  site  of  Paul's 
hired  house,  83. 

Massee,  Rev.  J.  C,  at  Boston  Banquet, 
2;  prayer  by,  39- 

Mathams,  Rev.  Walter  J.,  mentioned,  50; 
poem  by,  350 

Mayer,  Charles,  mentioned,  27. 


418 


McClure,    Rev.    W.    T.,    lecturing    on 

Azores,  22. 
McCook,    Rev.    Dr.    H.    C,    following 

Service  prepared  by,  32;  A  Morning 

Worship  arranged  by,  386. 
McCrillis,  A.  B.,  at  Boston  reception, 

2;  mentioned,  50. 
McDougal,  Dr.,  mentioned,  134. 
McFarland,  Dr.  J.  T.,  leading  prayer 

meeting,  38. 
McKenzie,  Pres.  W.  D.,  at  Boston  recep- 
tion, 2. 
Meacom,  Copley  O.,  mentioned,  21. 
Medallion,  bronze,  of  Paul,  86. 
Meigs,   C.   D.,   Blue    Book   on  Home 

Department  commended,  135. 
Mennonites  in  Russia,  312. 
Mercer,  H.  H.,  mentioned,  22. 
Methodist  Building,  Convention  held  in, 

38 

Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  mis- 
sionaries to  Bulgaria,  217. 

Methodists,  meeting  of,  on  Romanic  for 
Algiers  Work,  17. 

Methodus,  mentioned,  209. 

Meyer,  Rev.  F.  B.,  B.  A.,  mentioned, 
46;  leading  Quiet  Half  Hour,  70; 
sermon  on  "Oneness  of  Believers," 
176;  closing  words,  344;  tribute  to 
E.  K.  Warren,  344;  words  of  gratitude 
to  Italians,  344. 

Meyers,  John  B.,  mentioned,  21. 

Meyers,  H.  W.,  mentioned,  21. 

Mexico,  Report  of  work  in,  298. 

Miagawa,  Rev.  T.,  vice-president  Japan 
Sunday  School  Association,  276;  cited, 
286. 

Miller,  Miss  Nellie,  mentioned,  17. 

Mission  in  Ponta  Delgada,  12. 

Missionary  Contributions  in  Great 
Britain,  168. 

Missionary  Study  Classes  in  Rye  Lane 
Sunday-school,  174. 

Missionary  Committee  in  Rye  Lane 
Sunday-school,  175. 

Missionary  spirit  needed  in  Sunday- 
school,  151. 

Missionary  Circle  in  Rye  Lane  Sunday- 
school,  172. 

Missionary  offerings  in  Rye  Lane 
Sunday-school,  169. 

Missionary  offerings,  methods  of  secur- 
ing, 172. 

Missionary  meeting  at  Gibraltar, 
Romanic  party,  14;  on  Romanic  after 
Algiers,  17. 

Missionary  Centenary  Conference, 
China,  219. 

Mito,  Rev.  K.,  Secretary  Japan  Sunday 
School  Association,  276;  publisher  of 
lesson  helps  in  Japanese,  285. 

Mommsen,  Theodore,  cited  by  Dr. 
Gray,  81;  interpretation  of  Praetorium, 
90. 

Monod,  M.,  protests  against  atheistic 
utterances  in  France,  242. 


Index 


Monro,  A.  C,  address,  "The  Sunday 
School  as  a  Missionary  Force,"  i68. 

Moore,  E.  T.,  mentioned,  22. 

Moore,  W.  C.  B.,  mentioned,  21. 

Moravia,  Bohemia  and,_  report  from, 
206;  religious  statistics  in,  207.      _ 

Moore,    E.   T.,   speaking    on     Algiers, 

Mopsuestia,  Simday-school  work  in, 
326. 

Morgan,  Dr.  G.  Campbell,  mentioned, 
39,  46;  response  for  Great  Britain, 
41;  sermon  on  "Claim  of  the  Child, ' 
54;  leading  Quiet  Half-Hour,  136; 
sermon,  "The  Great  Apostle,"  156. 

Morley,  Miss,  writes  of  work  in  Adana, 

"Morning    Star,    The,"    Philippopolis 

church  giving  to,  213-  _  ^ 

Morning    Worship,    A,   by    Rev.     Dr. 

H.  C.  McCook,  386. 
Morris,  Rev.  S.  T.,  lecture  on  Genoa 

and  Pisa,  14.  ^ 

Muhammadanism  fears  only  Protestant 

Christianity,  230. 
Murch,  Rev.  Chauncey,  report  on  work 

in  Egypt,  228;  death  of,  233. 
Musee   National  des   Antiquites  Alger- 

iennes,  33-  „,  ,  , 

Muston,  Rev.  Arturo,  represents  Walden- 

sian  Church,  41. 
Myers,  Miss  Louisa,  mentioned,  22. 

Nakuina,  Moses  K.,  Hawaiian  Secretary 
Hawaii   Sunday    School    Association, 

Naples,  lecture  by  Prof.  Hinds,  14; 
arrival  of  Romanic  at,  17;  arrival  of 
Neckar  at,  38.  r,      ,     j 

National  Bible  Society  of  Scotland 
mentioned,  206;  in  Hungary,  263. 

Neckar,  The  Cruise  of  the,  20;  leaving 
New  York,  20;  first  morning  prayers 
on,  20;  Rev.  E.  E.  Braithwaite 
preaching  on,  21;  Sunday-school,  21; 
birthday  recognition  on,  22;  enter- 
tainment on,  23;  newspaper  read  on, 
23;  landing  at  Azores,  23;  death  of 
steerage  passenger,  26;  address  of 
Rev.  J.  G.  Dunlop  on  Japan,  26; 
athletic  games  on,  32;  Quartet, 
mentioned,  38. 

Negroes  in  United  States,  Report  of 
Work  Among,  300. 

Nemours,  Protestant  work  inaugurated 
in.  236.  ,     ^  .      ,     . 

New  England  Society  of  Friends  in 
Palestine,  310. 

Nero  instigated  burning  of  Rome,  loof. 

Nicephorus,  Sulpicuis  and,  story  of, 
73. 

Norris,  Miss  Mabel,  mentioned,  21. 

North  Africa,  gift  for  missions  in,  51; 
wonderful  history  of,  120;  Bible 
shops  m,  198;  "Mission  Work  in," 
article_by  Rev.   Joseph  J.   Cooksey, 


197;  mission,  purpose  of,  i97". 
methods  in,  198. 

Northern  Levant,  support  of  Sunday- 
school    Secretary   assumed,    325. 

Norway,  Report  of  Work  in,  306;  first 
Sunday-school  missionary  appointed 
in,  307. 

Norwegian  Sunday  School  Union,  307. 

Okumura,  T.,  Japanese  Secretary 
Hawaii    Sunday    School    Association, 

"Oneness  of  Believers,"  The,  sermon  by 
F.  B.  Meyer,  176. 

Onesimus,  messenger  for  Paul,  88. 

"Optimistic?  Are  Americans  always," 
30.  .  ^      , 

Organization?  what  is,  150;  Sunday- 
school,  essentials  of,  150. 

Organized  work,  America's  vision  of, 
331;  in  Great  Britain,  257. 

Oucken,  J.  G.,  principal  worker  in 
first  German  Sunday-school,  244f. 

Palestine,  Report  of  Work  in,  309. 
Palm,  Herr  August,  Report  of  Sunday- 
school  Work  in  Sweden,  318. 
Palmquist,  Mr.,  mentioned,  318,  319- 
Paris  Sunday-school  Society  mentioned, 

195- 
Parkinson,  Harry  L.,  mentioned,  21. 
"Paul  in  Rome,  The  Footsteps  of," 
by  Dr.  J.  Gordon  Gray,  79;  journeying 
toward  Rome,  79;  buildings  seen  by, 
on  entering  Rome,  80;  financial 
support  of,  84;  occupations  of,  in 
Rome,  8,^;  bronze  medallion  of,  86; 
the  bonds  of,  87;  companions  of, 
during  captivity,  87.;  epistle  to  the 
Philippians,  90;  trial  and  "great 
defense"  before  Caesar,  91;  trial  and 
release  of,  91-95;  effect  of  acquittal  of, 
on  the  Church,  97;  second  arrest  of, 
98;  second  imprisonment  of,  99; 
last  experiences  and  martyrdom  of 
hi;  site  of  burial-place  of,  114;  date 
of  martyrdom  of,  116;  greatness  of, 
defended,  156;  greatness  of,  accounted 
for,  157;  attitude  of  mind  of,  158; 
taking  counsel  with  the  Son,  160; 
detachment  of,  under  varied  circum- 
stances, 160;  as  debtor,  161;  encounter 
of,  with  Peter,  163;  desire  to  see 
Rome,  164.  .  . 

earce,    W.    C,    concerning    work    in 
West  Indies,  340;  mentioned,  336. 
Peloubet,  Rev.  Dr.  F.  N.,  on  "Lesson 

Editors  and  Writers  at  Work,"  ?• 
Peloubet's  Notes,  in  Bulgaria,  213- 
Penniman,  Geo.  W.,  article  on  Boston 
meeting,  i;  Mrs.  G.  W.,  mentioned, 

Pennsylvania,   Sunday-school   work   in, 

Q 

Pepper,  Hon.  John  R.,  at  Boston  recep- 
tion, 2. 


419 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 


Perkins,  Miss  Edith,  English  Secretary 
of  Hawaii  Sunday  School  Association, 

Peter,  devotion  of,  139;  resisted  by  Paul, 

163;  martyred  in  Rome,  iii. 
Peter,    Ernesto,   resident    manager    of, 

exposition,  78. 
Philathea   classes   among   the   Negroes, 

303- 
Philippians,  last  epistle  written,  durmg 

Paul's  first  imprisonment,  89. 
Piggott,  Rev.  Henry,  mentioned,  39-41, 

134- 
Pilgrim  Press,  mentioned,  135. 
"Pilgrims,   The   Rome,"   399. 
"Pisa,    Genoa   and,"   lecture  by  Rev. 

S.  T.  Morris,  14. 
Poland,  Work  of  Baptists  in,  312. 
"Pomucka,"   Bohemian   Sunday-school 

paper,  208. 
Ponta  Delgada,  Romanic  landing  at,  12; 

visit    of    Romanic  Party    to  rnission 

in,  12;  money  raised  for  mission  at, 

13- 
'Poor    Peckham,"    Sunday-school    m, 

169. 
Porta  Capena,  by  which  Paul  entered 

Rome,  80. 
Porter,    Rev.    J.    S.,    mentioned,    204; 

report  from  Bohemia    and  Moravia, 

206. 
Potts,  Rev.  Dr.  John,  absence  of,  8. 
Praetorium,  meaning  and  usage  of,  90. 
Preaching    Brotherhood    in     Bulgaria, 

212. 
Presbyterian     Board     of     Publication, 

mentioned,  23. 
Pressensse,  Madame  de,  work  of,  among 

slum  children,  242. 
Pressensse,    Francis    de,    criticised    by 

Briand   for    position   toward   French 

abuses,  242f. 
Price,  Prof.  Ira  M.,  at  Ford  Hall,  2; 

on   work   of   Lesson    Committee,    5; 

lecture  on  Eternal  City,  14. 
Primary  Department  in  Great  Britain, 

256. 
Prochet,  Dr.,  mentioned,   134. 
Prochonow,  Mr.,  mentioned,  314. 
Programme   of   World's   Fifth   Sunday 

School  Convention,  364ff. 
Public  schools,  religious  instruction  in 

Austrian,  207. 
Purse  for  Bishop  and  Mrs.  Hartzell's 

work,  13. 

Question  papers  in  Bohemia,  208. 

Quiet  Half-Hour,  led  by  F.  B.  Meyer, 
70|  led  by  G.  Campbell  Morgan,  136. 

Quirmal  Hotel,  arrival  at,  19;  banquet 
to  Italian  local  committee  by  president 
and  executive  committee  of  conven- 
tion, 39;  reception  to  missionaries  and 
committee  members  of  Convention, 
39;  meeting  of  American  Section  of 
Executive  Committee,  48. 


Raja  Kunwar,  ex-President  India 
Sunday  School  Union,   270. 

Ramsay,  Prof.,  quoted  on  Nero,  103; 
cited,  90. 

Rautenberg,  Pastor,  organized  first 
Sunday-school  in  Germany  at  Ham- 
burg, 244. 

Raymond,  Hon.  Robt.  F.,  Chaurman 
Boston  Banquet,  2;  Reception  by 
Lieut.  Gov.  Draper,  i;  at  the  Harts- 
horns' home,  2;     n  Ford  Hall,  2. 

Reception  in  Rome  by  Ambassador  Gris- 
com,  39;  to  missionaries,  39. 

"Rome  Pilgrims,  The,"  Executive  Com- 
mittee, 399. 

Religion,  keen  interest  in,  among 
Orientals,  32 sf. 

Religious  Tract  Society  in  Hungary, 
263. 

Resolutions  adopted  by  World's  Fifth 
Sunday  School  Convention,  372. 

Revelation,  Christ's,  concerning  the 
child,  63. 

Rexford,  Rev.  Dr.  E.  I.,  at  Boston 
banquet,  2;  lecture  on  Gibraltar,  14; 
words  of,  SI. 

Rhodes,  Rev.  Dr.  Mosheim,  preaching 
on  Romanic,  18;  words  of,  46; 
mentioned,  50. 

Robert  College,  Bulgarian  leaders  trained 
in,  210. 

Rodgers,   Purser,   mentioned,    10. 

Roman  Catholic  children  in  Italian 
Sunday-schools,  341. 

Roosevelt,  President,  message  of,  to 
Convention,  43. 

Ross,  Prof.  De  Forrest,  mentioned,  22. 

Roumania,  no  colporteurs  in,  210; 
report  from,  212. 

Romanic,  The  Cruise  of  the,  9;  first 
Sunday  on,  10;  number  on  board, 
10;  landing  at  Ponta  Delgada,  12; 
at  Azores,  12;  Woman's  Algerian 
Mission  Band,   17. 

Rueckheim,  F.  W.,  mentioned,  26. 

Russia,  Report  of  work  in,  311;  num- 
ber of  Sunday-schools  in,  314. 

Rye  Lane  Sunday-school,  description  of, 
169;  supporting  missionaries,  170, 
171;  "Do  Without  Bags"  in,  172; 
"Missionary  Circles"  in,  172;  "The 
King's  Bags"  in,  172;  missionary 
thermometer,  173;  missionary  study 
classes,  174;  missionary  committee, 
175- 

St.  Kitts  Sunday  School  Association, 
338. 

Sackett,  Rev.  A.  B.,  mentioned,  29. 

Sallust  describes  Mamertine  prison,  105. 

Salvation,  work  of  organized  Sunday- 
school,  155. 

Salvation  Army,  Naval  and  ISIilitary 
Home,  Gibraltar,  29. 

Sautter,  Louis,  mentioned,  32. 

Savonarola  and  the  Legates,  182. 


420 


Index 


Sawaye,  Mr.,  mentioned,  279. 
Schauffler,  Rev.  Dr.  A.  F.,  address  in 

Boston  on  International  Lessons,  3. 
Schiavi,  sacrifices  made  by  children  to 

contribute  to  work  in,  265. 
Schlatter,  Miss  Annie,  mentioned,  22. 
Scotch,  work  of,  missions  in   Hungary, 

261. 
Scott,  Dr.  T.  J.,  founded  India  Sunday- 
School  Union,  269f. 
Scott,  Rev.  George,  mentioned,  318. 
Scottish  National  Union,  Work  of,  in 

Pidestine,  310. 
Seaman's  Mission,  Gibraltar,  29. 
Sein,  Rev.  Eucario,  mentioned,  298,  299. 
Sellevold,  Pastor  J.  M.,  reports  work  in 

Norway,  306  ff. 
Sermons,  "The  Claim  of  the  Child,"  54; 

"The    Great    Apostle,"    156;    "The 

Oneness  of  Believers,"  176. 
Servia,  religious  destitution  in,  210. 
Setchanoff,  John  G.,  report  of  work  in 

Bulgaria,  215. 
Severance,    L.    H.,    at    China    Sunday 

School  Conference,  221. 
Shaw,  Hon.  Leslie  M.,  mentioned,  274. 
Shattuck,    Rev.    W.    T.,    speaking    on 

Algiers,  32;  prayer  on  Neckar,  21. 
Shaw,    H.    G.,    superintending    second 

Neckar  Sunday-school,  26. 
Shepard,  Dr.  James  E.,  Report  of  Work 

Among  the  Negroes  in  America,  300. 
"Significance  of  the  Convention,  The,i' 

by  Rev.  Dr.  N.  Walling  Clark,  340. 
Sleeping  Arab,  Algiers,  37. 
Smith,  Rev.  Frank  A.,  article  on  China, 

218;    greetings    to    Chinese   workers, 

220. 
Smith,  Olive  May,  birthday  of,  26. 
Socialists    oppose    Christian    work    in 

Sweden,  321. 
Solandt,    Rev.    J.    A.,    mentioned,    22; 

speaking  in  Ponta  Delgada,  25. 
South   America,   the   "neglected   conti- 
nent," 337. 
Southern      Presbyterian      Church      co- 
operates     with      Greek      Protestant 

churches,  254. 
Soutter,  Staff  Captain  Geo.  H.,  29.  _ 
Spain,  Report  of  Work  in,  316;  visited 

by  Paul,  97,  98. 
Stahr,  Pres.  J.  S.,  at  Boston  reception, 

2;  preaching  on  Romanic,  18. 
Star  of  the  East,  founded  by  Dr.  Jonas 

Kmg,  254. 
Statistics    of    World's    Sunday-schools, 

Officers    of    World's    Fourth    Sunday 

School  Convention,  358. 
Stebbins',     Mrs.     Flora     V.,     "Home 

Department  of  To-day"  commended, 

135- 
Steerage  passenger,  death  of,  26. 
Stoll,  C.  C,  mentioned,  17. 
Stuck,  Will  R.,  mentioned,  21. 
Sulpicius,  and  Nicephorus,  story  of,  73. 


"  Sunday  School  as  a  Missionary  Force," 

adchess  by  A.  C.  Monro,  168. 
"Sunday  School  Exposition,  The,"  by 

Rev.  Dr.  C.  R.  Blackall,  76. 
"Sunday-school  Organized  for  Service," 
'     address  by  Marion  Lawrance,  149. 
Sunday  School  Times,  mentioned,  21; 

in  Bulgaria,  213. 
Sutherland,    Allan,    mentioned,  21,  49; 

paper    on    "Famous    Hymns,"    23; 

assisting  in  exposition,  78. 
Switzerland,  Report  of  Work  in,  321. 
Sweden,  Sunday-school  work  in,  318. 

Tacitus,  quoted  on  burning  of  Rome, 
100. 

Tamiura,  Rev.  N.,  Chairman  of  Lesson 
Committee  of  Japan  Sunday  School 
Association,  276. 

Tangier,  mission  in,  198. 

Tarsus,  Sunday-school  missionary  at,  48. 

Taylor,  Earl,  at  China  Sunday  School 
Conference,  221. 

Teacher-training,  emphasis  on,  in  Penn- 
sylvania, 8;  in  Great  Britain,  257; 
in  India,  272;  in  Japan,  282;  in  West 
Indies,  336. 

Teachers,  Christian,  in  Japan  Govern- 
ment schools,  284. 

Teaching,  laws  of,  need  of  understand- 
ing, 150.  ,       , 

Temple,  Tremont,  meetmg  m,  3. 

Thermometer,  missionary,  in  Rye  Lane 
Sunday-school,  173. 

Thompson,  Rev.  A.  E.,  Report  of  Work 
in  Palestine,  309ff. 

Thompson,  Rev.  R.  W.,  mentioned,  22; 
speaking  on  Gibraltar,  27. 

Thrace,  evangelization  of,  217. 

"Tliree  Taverns"  a  disputed  site,  79. 

Thurston,  Rev.  Mr.,  first  missionary 
to  Hawaii,  333- 

Thwing,  Rev.  E.  W.,  Chinese  Secretary 
Hawaii   Simday    School    Association, 

335-  .        .     T. 

"Tibisoi"  society  m  Roumama,  212. 

Timothy,   with   Paul,   88. 

Tithe-giving  in  Bulgaria,  213. 

Trinidad  and  Tobago  Sunday  School 
Association,  338. 

Trotter,  Miss  I.  Lilias,  mentioned,  15; 
at  work  in  Algiers,  34;  mentioned,  51. 

Tullianum.     (See  Mamertine  prison.) 

Turkey,  report  of  Sunday-school  work 
in,  324;  Sunday-school  Secretary 
needed  in,  325. 

Tscharner,  G.  de,  report  of,  on  Sunday- 
school  work  in  Switzerland,  321. 

Turner,  Rev.  E.  B.,  editor  of  "Hawaiian 
Youth,"  335. 

Tyler,  Rev.  Dr.  B.  B.,  at  Boston  recep- 
tion, i;  at  Boston  banquet,  2;  preach- 
ing on  Romanic,  10;  address,  "Arise, 
Let  Us  Go  Hence,"  346;  tribute  to 
delegates,  349. 

Tychicus,  messenger  for  Paul,  88. 


421 


Sunday  Schools  the  World  Around 


Ukai,    Rev.    T.,   Secretary    of    Japan 

Sunday  School  Association,  276. 
Uniform  Lesson  System,  332. 
United  Free  Church  of  Scotland,  311. 
United  Methodist  Church,  First  General 

Conference  of,  in  Japan,  287. 
United  States,  Report  of  Sunday-school 

Work  in,  330. 
Unity  of  church  on  earth,  177. 
Unity  illustrated  by  F.  B.  Meyer,  178, 

179. 

Variety  of  denominations  a   blessing, 

181. 
Vienna,  Austrian  Association  organized 

in,  200. 
Vincent,  Bishop  J.  H.,  mentioned,  4. 
Vining,  Robert,  talk  with,  30. 
Visitor,  Home  Class,  function  of,  128. 
Visitation,    Report    of     Committee    on 

World's  Sunday-school,  192, 

Wanamaker,  John,  mentioned,  275. 

Wangemann,  Pastor,  as  S.  S.  and  Y.  M. 
C.  A.  agent  in  Austria,  200. 

Warren,  E.  K.,  at  Boston  reception,  2; 
on  plans  for  Convention,  8;  mentioned, 
39,  40,  50,  274,  304  337;  responding 
for  U.  S.  and  reading  President 
Roosevelt's  letter,  4  3  ;  President 
Meyer's  tribute  to,  344. 

Watanabe,  Judge  N.,  President  Japan 
Sunday  School  Association,  276. 

Waterhouse,  ]\lrs.  E.  B.,  mentioned,  22; 
report  on  work  in  Sandwich  Is- 
lands, 37. 

Waters,  Charles,  mentioned,  149;  article 
on  International  Bible  Reading  Asso- 
ciation, 184. 

Watson,  Mrs.  Oliver  L.,  mentioned, 
22. 

Webb,  Miss  Mary,  writes  of  work  in 
Mopsuestia,  326. 

Weiss,  Pastor,  mentioned,  195. 

"Welcome"  Soldiers  and  Seamans 
Home,  29. 

Welldon,  Right  Rev.  Bishop,  Metro- 
politan   of    India    and    Ceylon,    ex- 


President  of  India  Sunday  School 
Union,  270. 

Wells,  Prof.  Amos  R.,  at  Tremont 
Temple  meeting,  7. 

Wells,  F.  A.,  at  Boston  reception,  2. 

Wesleyan  Missionary  Society,  men- 
tioned, 1 68. 

West  Indies,  Report  of  Work  in,  335; 
teacher-training  in,  336;  Danish, 
Sunday-school  work  in,  227;  organized 
Sunday-school  unknown  in,  336. 

White,  Dr.  Andrew  C,  leading  in 
prayer,  38. 

White,  Rev.  W.  C,  on  Sunday-schools  in 
China,  219. 

Whittier,  W.  Scott,  on  work  in  West 
Indies,  339. 

Williams,  Rev.  C.  Scott,  mentioned,  299. 

Wilson,  ]Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  B.,  men- 
tioned, 11;  W.  B..  chairman  Enrol- 
ment Committee,  410. 

Witt,  Mr.,  mentioned,  313. 

Woolly,  E.  J.,  assisting  in  Boston  Re- 
ception, i;  on  work  in  West  Indies, 
340.  ^ 

Worden,  Dr.  James  A.,  mentioned,  46; 
author  of  World's  Sunday-school  Day 
Service,  394. 

World's  Sunday  School  Conventions, 
previously  held,  357. 

World's  Sunday-school  Day,  service  for, 
394- 

Woodbury,  Dr.  Frank,  mentioned,  336; 
on  work  in  West  Indies,  340. 

World  Sunday-school  Visitation,  50,  192. 

World's  Sunday  School  Association, 
name  of  World's  Sunday  School  or- 
ganization, 370;  its  purpose — policy — 
field,  370. 

World's  Sunday-School  Statistics,  358. 

Wormley,  Miss  Jean,  mentioned,  11. 

Wright,  Henry  Maxwell,  missionary  to 
Azores,  25;  Louisa,  Mary  and  Ellen, 
missionaries  to  Azores,  25. 

Y.  M.  C.  A.  in  Japan,  286;  World's 
Student  Convention,  in  Japan,  287. 

Yee,  C.  S.,  Korean  Secretary  Hawaii 
Sunday-school  Association,  335. 


422 


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